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THE HAIE: 



GROWTH, CAEE, 

DISEASES AND TREATMENT. 



BY 

C. HENEI LEONARD, M. A., M. D., 

Professor of Medical and Surgical Diseases of Women, and Clinical Gynaecology, in the Michigan 

College of Medicine ; Member of the American Medical Association ; 

of the Wayne County Medical Society, etc., etc. 



. 



We loved that time the best 
Before the hair was turning gray. 



Illustrated bg %\\t Jmtbreb anfr Sixteen (Bngrabings. 



DETROIT: 

C. HENRI LEONARD, MEDICAL BOOK PUBLISHER, 

1880. 



<■ 



V 

v 



COPYRIGHTED, 1879. 
All rights reserved. 



Electrotyped and Printed 

by the 

Detroit Free Press Company. 






PREFACE. 



The present work has engaged the attention of the Author for the past 
six years. It is intended simply as an introduction to a second and 
larger and more scientific work that the Author hopes, in the near future, 
to have time to prepare. The purpose of the larger work is to show 
the possibility of the classification of animals from the differences in the 
microscopical structure of their hair-shafts. He has examined the hairs 
from a very large number of the different animals of the globe, speci- 
mens of which he now has in his possession, and believes such a classifi- 
cation possible. 

This treatise is of as much value to the laity as the profession, hence 
he has avoided, as far as possible, purely technical terms, and has also 
translated each prescription into its English equivalents. 

Numerous authorities have been consulted, and their text and illus- 
trations have, in many instances, been altered to suit the views of the 
Author, and so used, or else have been copied entire. While it is 
impossible to here mention all the names, yet the Author feels himself 
under special obligations to the following works and authors : Anthon, 
Aristotle, Beal, Bennett, The Bible, Bogtje, Bulkley, Cottle, 
Darwin, Dunglison, Encyclopaedia Metropolitana, Flint, Jr., 
Fox, Fry, Godfrey, Gosse, Gray, Gross, Haeckel, Herodotus, 
Homer, Horace, Kirke, Kitto & Bond, Kollice^r, Kuss, Larry, 
Layard, Livingstone, Lubbock, Martial, Nayler, Neill & Smith, 
Neumann, Ovid, Pifpard, Kawlinson, Baynald, St. John, The 
Talmud, Tanner, Verrill, Virgil, Wells, Wilson, Withof and 
The Zend Avesta. In most instances the authority quoted will be 
found named in the text. 

Detroit, 52 Lafayette Ave., January, 1880. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE. 

The Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology of the Hair and 

Follicles 9 

CHAPTER II. 
Anatomy and Physiology of the Hair-Root 21 

CHAPTER III. 
Anatomy and Physiology of the Shaft External to the 

Follicle 27 

CHAPTER IV. 
The Hair-Shaft, Continued 87 

CHAPTER Y. 

The Hair-Shaft, Concluded 47 

CHAPTER VI. 
The Color of the Hair 61 

CHAPTER VII. 
Hair in Singular Places 71 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Hygienic Treatment of the Hair 82 

CHAPTER IX. 
Polytrichia (excessive hair-growth) 95 

CHAPTER X. 

Canities (turning gray of the hair) 109 

CHAPTER XL 

Trichonosis Decolor (discoloring of the hair) 128 

CHAPTER XII. 

Alopecia, Vulgaris, Circumscripta, Senilis (baldness) 132 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Coloring or Dyeing the Hair 158 



.TABLE OF CONTENTS. 5 

CHAPTER XIV. 



PAGE. 

Pityriasis (dandruff) -, ™ 

CHAPTER XV. 
Seborrhea Capillitii -^ 6 

CHAPTER XVI. 

ASTEATODES AND ALLOSTEATODES jgg 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Eczema (milk crust) lg6 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Sycosis Menti, Acne and Rupia Syphilitica 194 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Vegetable Parasitic Diseases 202 

CHAPTER XX. 
Tinea Tonsurans (ringworm of the scalp) 209 

CHAPTER XXL 

Tinea Favosa (honeycomb ringworm) 217 

CHAPTER XXII.'. 
Tinea Decalvans (patchy baldness) 223 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
Tinea Sycosis (barber's itch) 228 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
General Chapter upon Animal Parasites 236 

CHAPTER XXV. 

The Dermatozoa (animal parasites) 242 

CHAPTER XXVI. 
Different Modes of Dressing the Hair 261 

CHAPTER XXVII. 
The Hair of the Ancient Assyrians, Egyptians and Incas. . 287 

™ _ CHAPTER XXVIII. 

iHE BEABD og7 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



FIG. PAGE. 

1. Diagrammatic formation of a Hair Follicle 14 

2. Diagrammatic formation of a Hair Bulb 15 

3. Diagrammatic formation of the Hair 16 

4. Hair Follicle, Hair and Glands 18 

5. Cells of the inner Root-sheath 21 

6. Cross-section of a Hair 22 

7. The Hair Bulb and Follicle 23 

8. The Shedding of the Hair 25 

9. Hair and Needle Contrasted 27' 

10. Hair-shaft, showing Medulla 28 

11. Different Hairs Contrasted 29 

12. Cells of the Fibrous portion of the Hair 30 

13. Cells of the Epidermal portion of the Hair 33 

14. Cellular Imbrication of the Hair-shaft 33 

15. A Hair seen under the Microscope 34 

16. Different Hairs Contrasted 35 

17. Hair of the Dermesf.es lardarius 35 

18. Cross-section of the Hair-^ haft 37 

19. Cross-section of the Beard-shaft 38 

20. Hair in a Whale's Mouth 71 

21. Rhinoceros : . . . 72 

22. Head of the Nose Ape 75 

23. Diagrammatic showing the three Germ Skin-layers 78 

24. Portrait of Edwin Smith 98 

25. Cornu Humanum 180 

26. Penicillium Glaucum, magnified 202 

27. Trichophyton Tonsurans 210 

28. The Same just attacking a Hair 211 

29. Achorion Schonleinii 217 

30. The Same attacking a Hair 217 

31. Microsporon Audouini attacking a Hair 224 

32. Microsporon Mentagraphytes attacking a Hair 229 

33. The Same in an earlier stage 231 

34. Proboscis of Body-louse, highly magnified 240 

35. Pediculus Capitis, Head-louse 242 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



FIG. PAGE. 

S6. Pediculus Pubis, Crab-louse 244 

37. Pediculus Corporis, Body-louse 245 

38. Steatozoon Folliculorum 250 

39. Sarcoptes Hominis, Itch Insect — Female 251 

40. Sarcoptes Hominis, Itch Insect— Male 252 

41. Burrow of Itch Insect 253 

42. Six-legged Sarcoptes Hominis 254 

43. Pulex Felis, Cat Flea 256 

44. Larva of the Pulex Felis 257 

45. Roman and Greek Hair Pins ... 265 

46. Manner of Doing up the Hair 266 

47. A Lady of the Royal Family of ancient Rome 266 

48. Head of Apollo Belvidere 267 

49. Head of Diana 267 

50. Head of Jupiter's Lion 267 

61. Head of Jupiter 267 

52. The Coan Robe 268 

53. Head of Hercules 269 

54. Head of a Congo Lady 269 

55. Head of Cupid 270 

56. Head of Octavia 270 

57. Head of Messalina 270 

58. Head of Julia Sabina 271 

59. Head of Plautilla 271 

60. Head of Pluto 272 

61. Head of Neptune 272 

62. Head of Apollo 272 

63. Later Head of Mercury ' 273 

64. Earlier Head of Mercury 273 

65. Head of Hercules 273 

66. Head of Hercules' Bull 273 

67. Head of Juno 273 

68. Head of Victoria 274 

69. Head of one of Niobe's Daughters 274 

70. Head of Venus 274 

71. Head of a Fijian : 280 

72. Head of a Fijian 280 

73. Head of a Fijian 281 

74. Head of a Fijian 281 

75. Head of a Londa Lady 281 

76. Head of a Bashinje Chief 282 

77. Head of a Papuan 283 

78. Head of a Cafuso Woman 284 

79. Head of a Solomon Islander 284 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



FIG. PAGE. 

80. Head of a North Australian 285 

81. Head of Ada Cavendish 286 

82. Head of an Assyrian King 287 

83. Head of an Assyrian Queen 287 

84. Sennacherib on his Throne 288 

85. Egyptian Wig for Male 290 

86. Egyptian Wig for Male 290 

87. Egyptian Wig for Male , 290 

88. Egyptian Wig for Male 290 

89. Egyptian Wig for Female 291 

90. Front View of an Egyptian Wig 291 

91. Back View of an Egyptian Wig 291 

92. Royal Egyptian Head-dress 292 

93. Beard of an Egyptian King 292 

94. Beard of an Egyptian Deity 292 

95. Beard of a Private Egyptian 292 

96. Mummy Case of Egyptian of Rank 292 

97. An Ancient Egyptian Girl 293 

98. Egyptian Lady of Rank 294 

99. Egyptian Lady 294 

100. Egyptian Lady 294 

101. Head of Egyptian Lady of Rank 294 

102. Head of Egyptian Lady of Rank 294 

103. Head of Egyptian Lady of Rank 294 

104. Full Dress of Egyptian Lady of Rank 295 

105. Cross-section of a Beard Hair, magnified 297 

106. Portrait of Ignatz Hiiber 299- 

107. Portrait of a Solomon Islander 300 

108. Portrait of a Sandwich Islander 300 

109. Portrait of a North Australian 301 

110. Portrait of Jupiter and the Lion 302 

111. Portrait of Madam Josephine Clofullia 302 

112. Medallion of St. Paul : 30a 

113. Egyptian Beards 306 

114. Portrait of a Papuan 306 

115. Portrait of a Syrio-Egyptian 307 

116. Portrait of Hippocrates 310 



HAIR: 

ITS 

GROWTH, CARE, DISEASES AND TREATMENT. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE CHEMISTRY, ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE 
HAIR AND FOLLICLES. 

Hair, though seemingly a small and unimportant subject, 
when but a single shaft is considered, is, withal, one that much 
can be said about. 

As a commercial commodity, hair is of vast importance. 
Thousands of people, from the wealthy wig-seller, whose cus- 
tomers are of royal birth, down to the poor peasant girl who 
grows her locks but to be shorn — for the girls of Brittany and 
the lower Pyrenees repair annually to their fairs in droves, 
each in turn surrendering her rich long hair, hanging down to 
her waist, to the buyer's shears — make a fair amount of their 
living from traffic in this material. Fashionable Paris alone, 
and London as much more, consumes annually over one hun- 
dred thousand pounds of human hair in the manufacture of her 
chignons and wigs, an amount that would load down, from its- 
bulk and weight, twenty of our largest freight cars. Just think 
of this for a moment; two cities alone consuming annually two 
freight-train loads of human hair! What must be the amount 



10 hair: its growth, care, 

when we take into consideration that used by the cities and 
towns the world over ? As the weight per head averages from 
one-half to three-quarters of a pound, it is quite easy to see 
how many individuals sacrifice their cranial coverings upon 
this altar of mammon annually. 

Convents usually furnish a large amount of fine, luxuriant 
hair for the French, Spanish and Italian markets, and it is 
known to the trade as " church hair." 

Black hair comes usually from Spain or Italy; golden hair 
from Germany, and yellow from Holland. In England the 
red hair comes from the Danish descendants of the northern 
counties; the black, or bluish-black from the Celtic descend- 
ants of Wales; the brown, with a shade of the flaxen, from 
the Saxon element in the south. 

The quantity of long black hair from a French head averages 
about five ounces; the hair from an Italian about six ounces; 
from a German, about ten ounces. 

The prices paid for hair average usually from five dollars per 
head, down to twenty cents, all depending, of course, upon the 
quality and color of the material. Some unusually fine heads 
bring double or triple this price, and some heads of rare quali- 
ties are fairly weighed against gold. 

Golden hair is one of the most valuable colors in the English 
market, bringing as high as two dollars per ounce, if of 
fine quality. A fine article of white hair sometimes sells as 
high as five dollars an ounce. The dealers detect the qual- 
ity of the hair by the touch and smell. Indeed, some nation- 
alities have an odor to their hair peculiarly their own, as 
notably that of the Chinese, whose hair has a musky smell; 
certain diseases will develop an ammoniacal odor to the hair 
as well as the perspiration; the odor of violets has also been 
distinctly noted in one or two cases: the sense of touch enables 



DISEASES AND TREATMENT. 



11 



them to judge of its smoothness, evenness and fineness: the 
sense of smell enables them also to judge whether its color 
has been tampered with by dyes or bleaching agents, and 
how it has been packed for market; sometimes, also, whether 
it was from a living body or from one in the charnel house. 

As a rule, the hair-growers are a degraded raoe of people, 
filthy in their habits, living in low mud huts, and wearing but 
excuses for clothes. Closely fitting caps are worn by them, to 
protect the hair from injury, and also to avoid the necessity of 
pinning it up or frequently combing it, as either of these proce- 
dures would endanger its breakage, or the straining of the roots 
of the hair, and so get, by these means, an uneven or imperfect 
growth. Their riches consist not in their flocks, but rather in 
the hirsute growth that they themselves may produce. 

THE CHEMISTRY OF THE HAIR, 

By chemical examination we find the hair to be composed of 
the same elements (and in nearly the same proportions) as are 
found in the horns and hoofs of animals, the baleen or bone 
from the mouth of the great sea monster, the whale, the nails 
and feathers of fowls and birds, the nails of our own fingers 
and toes, and even the outer or epidermal layer of our skin. 
The resemblance of these several bodies in their chemical com- 
position is as similar as their physiological formation. Besides 
the animal matter which they all contain in common, we find 
this to be the result of the analysis of each: 

Halr - tSffig. %"-* Horn. ^hale- 

Carbon 50.65 49.90 50.28 51.03 51.86 

Hydrogen 6.36 6.40 6.76 6.80 6.87 

Nitrogen 17.14 17.10 17.21 16.24 15.70 

Oxygen 20.85 21.60 25.01 22.51 21.97 

Sulphur 5.00 5.00 0.74 3.42 3.60 

It will be noticed that there is but little more variation 



12 CHEMISTRY OF THE HAIE. 

between the chemical analyses of the different substances given 
than there is between the two different analyses of the hair 
itself. This variation is in part due to the fact that no two 
heads of hair are exactly alike in their chemical composition; 
they vary much with the color of the hair too. Thus, for 
intsance: 

Brovm hair gives us the largest proportion of carbon, while 
sulphur, oxygen and hydrogen are found in a smaller ratio. 

In black hair we find a larger amount, comparatively, of oxy- 
gen and sulphur, but a smaller amount of carbon and hydrogen. 

Fair hair is the richest in oxygen and sulphur, but has less 
carbon and hydrogen than hair of any other color. 

In red hair is found a reddish oil, a small quantity of iron, 
but a large quantity of sulphur. 

White hair, besides the sulphate of alumina, yields the phos- 
phate of magnesia, a whitish oil, and, in the aged, a large 
amount of the phosphate of lime. 

The beard gives us more carbon and hydrogen than the head 
hair, but less oxygen and sulphur; the quantity of nitrogen is, 
however, about the same. 

Upon the variation of the amount of these different chemical 
constituents present in hair of a given color, depend the dif- 
ferent shades of color caused by the use of the same dye, as 
spoken of in the chapter devoted to the consideration of hair- 
dyes and bleaching agents. 

The peculiar offensive odor noticed on burning hair is due 
to the decomposition of its nitrogenous or animal substance, 
called keratin, thus setting the previously combined sulphur 
free. This substance, which goes to make up the bulk of the 
hair, is soluble in alkalies, with the formation of ammonia, and 
strong sulphuric acid; but insoluble in boiling acetic acid, which 
dissolves the nails, horn and epidermis, and hence distinguishes 



ANATOMY AXD PHYSIOLOGY OF THE HAIR. 13 

hair from these very similar products. Liquor potass* also 
dissolves it quite readily. 

When hair is reduced to ashes, by burning, the ash is found 
to yield calcic sulphates and phosphates, ferric and manganesic 
oxides, and ferric silicates; the ash from white hair yields sul- 
phate of alumina and lime, and phosphate of magnesia. 

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 

Hairs are an appendage of the skin, the same as are the nails; 
both are but modifications of the epidermal or surface-layer of 
the integument. In this respect also resembling the claws and 
feathers of birds and fowls, the claws, hoofs and horns of ani- 
mals, the scales of fishes, and the tough, overlapping mail of 
the alligator and crocodile. 

Hairs are found everywhere, as a rule, upon the human body, 
excepting upon the palms of the hands and fingers, and the 
soles of the feet and toes; though none are found on the upper 
eyelids, on the pulp of the lips, the dorsal surface of the tips of 
the fingers and toes, inner surface of prepuce, on the glans 
penis, mucous surface of the labia, mucous surfaces generally, 
and the globe of the eye. To this last, however, I know of 
a noted exception among the animals, that of a calf born with 
a hair-tuft springing directly from the front of the eyeball. 

Hair is found also on or within many of the internal organs, 
and notably so in pathological formations, or tumors, of the 
ovary. In the normal state these hair-growths are microscopi- 
cal, being only cilia in most instances. Upon the inside of 
some of the ovarian cysts, though, I have seen it in large tufts, 
or handfuls, growing luxuriantly from the cyst-wall. 

Hairs vary in length, size and color in different individuals, 
and also according to the place whereon they are found in the 
same individual. Thus, on the back of the fingers they are 



14 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE HAIR. 

very short, and shorter still on other portions of the body, 
where the microscope is necessary to reveal them, as they barely 
reach out of the skin-follicle containing them. On the head 
they become of great length, in some instances, as I shall 
give further on, trailing on the ground. The beard and eye- 
lashes are remarkable for their comparatively great size; the 
former, in some individuals, grows also to be of great length, 
as for instance that of the authentically recorded case of the 
Burgomeister Hans Steiningen, whose beard was so long that 
he trod upon it one day, when ascending the stairs to the coun- 
cil chamber, and so stumbled and fell down and was killed. 

Hairs are cellular in structure, being made up of an aggrega- 
tion of cells, that are variously shaped and altered from their 
primary spherical condition. 

Hair begins its growth by the formation of a follicle, through 
a downward budding-like process, from the corpus or rete 

mucosum, the middle 
layer of the skin, thus: 
In Fig. 1, E rep- 
resents the epithelial 
or outer layer of the 
Fi s- *■ skin, the scarf-skin, 

in other words; H. M. the middle layer or rete mucosum; C 
corium, or true skin. 

The hair follicle is formed early in intra-uterine life. 
As early as the third month of foetal existence the involution 
of the skin commences, and with it the papilla and the com- 
mencing hair-bulb are seen. When further advanced in 
the formation, the follicle will assume the appearance, on 
microscopical examination, of that seen in Fig. 2. This 
represents a cross-section of the follicle at the 16th week of 




FORMATION OF THE HAIR PAPILLA. 17 

an inch on perpendicular section. Each papilla is made up 
of undeveloped, nucleated connective-tissue cells commingled 
with a few free fibres. It is from these microscopic organs 
that the hairs of our bodies derive their nourishment and ele- 
ments of growth. 

The formative cells are continually being pushed upwards 
from the soft bulbs of the hair, taking with them the coloring 
granules; they then arrange themselves about the centre of the 
shaft forming its pith, and part of the fibrous portion. Then, 
from the combined action of the hair bulb and the hair follicle, 
new aggregations of cells are made, which, as they are elevated 
to the surface of the skin, are contracted and flattened to the 
shape that we find them in the shaft without the follicle. The 
growth of hair, then, being but the gradual pushing upwards 
(out of the follicle) of previously-formed cells by the new ones 
that are being formed continually below them. This explains 
why the hair will grow after it is plucked out " by its roots." 
So long as the papilla, with the follicle, is in a healthy condi- 
tion, so long will a new hair be ready to spring up from the 
same follicle. Thus in the case of eye-lashes, they are renewed 
in 150 days. 

To return now to a further description of the follicle. Each 
one is from -J^ to \ of an inch in depth. As they are formed 
by an induplicature of the skin, their lining membranes partake, 
of necessity, of similar connective tissues and epithelial ele- 
ments. From minute and careful microscopical investigation, 
it has been found that there are three distinct (from their 
cellular arrangement) membranes, going to form each follicle, 
after the indenture in the corium has been made by the down- 
wardly budding rete mucosum (Fig. 3.) The outer membrane, 
Fig. 4, 6, is made up of fusiform, connective-tissue cells, arranged 
longitudinally, with elongated nuclei, and is from the g-oVo to 

2 



18 



FORMATION OF THE HAIR FOLLICLE. 



the xoVo" °f an mcn m thickness. It is freely supplied with 
capillary blood vessels, and nerve fibres have been discovered 

in it. The middle 
membrane is nearly 
triple the thickness of 
the outer layer, and 
is made up of fusi- 
form connective-tissue 
fibres, arranged trans- 
versely. It is not seen 
all the way up the folli- 
cle, but ends, usually, 
at the place of entrance 
of the ducts, 1 0, of the 
sebaceous glands (sim- 
ple, 11, and compound, 
9), which accompany 
each follicle. In this 
layer there is also 
found free capillary 
circulation, with a ten- 
dency of the vessels 
to cross the membrane 
transversely. The in- 
ner membrane lining 
the follicular depres- 
sion, and which sur- 
rounds the hair, repre- 
sented by Fig. 4, en- 
tirely, though it is not 
Fi £- 4 - represented in the cut, 

is structureless; it is the limiting or hyaline membrane, 




THE SEBACEOUS GLANDS. 19 

as it is sometimes called. It is not readily acted on by 
acids and alkalies, hence differs very materially from the other 
follicular membranes. Between it and the middle layer is 
a lymphatic plexus, and, in the case of tactile hairs of animals, 
notably those of the feline class, there is a highly developed 
vascular plexus. Running downward from this hyaline mem- 
brane, continuing in the same direction as the follicle, as in 
the case of the longer and larger hairs, there is a stalk-like 
projection seen passing through, and below, the true skin-layer 
into a subcutaneous connective-tissue layer, there uniting and 
inosculating with its fellows. 

The hair follicles, in the majority of instances, do not descend 
perpendicularly into the skin, but take an oblique course. This 
gives a "set " to the direction which the hair-shafts take when 
out of the body, and which will be treated of further on. 

THE SEBACEOUS GLANDS. 

Each hair follicle has one or more sebaceous glands emptying 
into it near its outlet; these glands may be either simple, Fig. 
4, 11, page 18, or compound, 9, of same figure. From these 
glands are poured out the oily material that goes to lubricate 
the follicle, hair and scalp. The "dandruff" seen upon the 
scalp is a production of the dried material from these glands, 
commingled with the dust and filaments of the clothing that 
find lodgment in the hair, together with the exfoliation of 
the scarf-skin of the scalp. Besides these sebaceous glands 
there are sweat glands also opening into the follicle. 

THE MUSCLES OF THE EOLLICLE. 

Referring again to Fig. 4, page 18, there will be noticed, on 
the right-hand side of the plate, two bands of muscular tissue, 
1 and 8, running diagonally upward from the lower portion of 



20 THE MUSCLES OF THE HAIR FOLLICLE. 

the follicle. These are called erectores pili, the erector mus- 
cles of the hair. By the contraction of these muscles the hair 
is elevated, with its follicle, and protruded from the skin, giv- 
ing the condition of affairs known as " goose pimples " or 
" goose skin " {cutis anserma.) Through the same physiologi- 
cal action upon the hairs and follicles of the scalp, one's hair 
is made " to stand on end," as is popularly said. During the 
contraction of these muscles the contents of the follicle and 
the sebaceous glands are also squeezed out more abundantly 
than when the follicle is in its usual distended, or quiescent, 
state. It is these muscles that also give the tactile movements 
to the " whiskers " of the feline, canine and leonine species, 
only they are more developed in them than in man. 




CHAPTER II. 



THE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE HAIR— {Continued.) 



Investing 



THE ROOT-SHEATHS. 

the roots of the hair are two layers of cells, or 



membranes, called the outer and inner root-sheaths. 

The external sheath, 4, Fig. 4, is continuous with the bulb of 
the hair, and resembles, closely, the rete mucosum (Figs. 1 and 
3), from which it is formed. It is made up of numerous 
rounded and nucleated cells, which vary from the 40 1 00 of an 
inch to the -g-J-^ of an inch in diameter. Those situated nearer 
to the surface of the hair cylinder are somewhat flattened. 
This sheath is three or four 
times thicker than the inner 
root-sheath. 

The internal root-sheath 
is more transparent than its 
fellow, the outer, and seems 
to be made up of two layers 
of flattened cells; the layer, 
1, Fig. 5, lying adjacent to 
the hair cylinder, is of non- 
nucleated, elongated, trans- 
parent cells, varying from 
the -j-Lq- to the ^ of an inch 
in length, and is known as 
Henle's layer. The outermost layer, 2, is known as Huxley's, 
and is made up of nucleated polyhedral cells, with axes parallel 




Fig. 5. 



22 



THE HAIR BULB OR ROOT. 



to the shaft of the hair. These are also transparent, and are not 
so compressed as those forming Henle's layer, and their longi- 
tudinal axis is shorter. At 3, same figure, is shown, in contrast, 
some of the cells from the external root-sheath. At the bottom 
of the follicle there is only one layer of the nucleated cells 
forming this sheath, and, similarly to the outer root-sheath, it 
ends near the entrance of the ducts of the sebaceous glands. 
A transverse section of a hair and its follicle, 
at the middle of the follicle, would show all the 
different layers and membranes we have gone 
over in the following order (Fig. 6) : 1 is a 
portion of the hair; 2, the epithelial layer of 
the hair shaft; 3 and 4, the inner and outer 
layers of the internal root-sheath; 5 and 6, the 
thick, outer root-sheath with its two different 
layers of cells, the outer lying transversely to 
the long axis of the follicle; 7, 8, 9, the hya- 
line membrane, with its inner, middle and 
outer layer of cells; 10, the pith or medulla 
of the hair, which is to be described on a following page. 




THE HAIR BULB OR ROOT. 

That portion of the hair below the surface of the skin is 
called its root. It presents a bulbous enlargement at this 
point, and hence is frequently termed the bulb. This is the 
part that furnishes the sustenance to the existing hair shaft 
without the follicle. It is larger, whiter and softer than the 
portion^ without the skin, and has a hollowed-out base, which 
rests upon the papilla springing from the bottom of the follicle, 
and is connected with it by the interlacement of the cells form- 
ing the papilla and the bulb proper of the hair. 

An examination of the structures of the root of the hair is 



THE HAIR BULB OR ROOT. 



23 




Fig. 7. 



best made by chromic acid preparations; this hardens the cel- 
lular structures so they can be easily manipulated. In the 
bulb proper, throughout its en- 
tire mass, with the exception of 
a thin cortical covering, we find 
the same round, nucleated cells 
seen in the external sheath layer? 
and shown at 3, Fig. 5. They 
are also seen in Fig. 7, at 6 
and 8. Sometimes these cells 
are pigmented, especially in the 
upper shaft portion; they go 
to make up the fibrous part of 
the hair, 10, and the medullary 
portion, 8, as they are further 
developed. They first become, with their nuclei, elongated for 
the cortical portion, 5, and this process continues till they are 
still further narrowed and lengthened, and their nuclei become 
but thread-lines or are lost entirely. The cells overlap each 
other closely, and somewhat regularly, and in a healthy hair- 
cylinder it is impossible to separate them without chemical 
reagents, of which sulphuric acid is the best. This layer will 
be further treated of when we come to speak of the shaft of 
the hair, for, in the attenuated and hardened state of the cells, 
it is continued on to the tip of the hair without the follicle. 
The length of these cells, in their mature state, ranges from the 
■g-^-Q- to the -g-J-g- of an inch, and their width from the -g-gVo to tne 
go^o of an inch. Between the plates of this layer are found 
granules of pigment matter — for.this is the layer that gives the 
color to the hair — and also a few narrow air chambers. 

The axillary and medullary portion of the hair (8 and 11 of 
Fig. 8) is the most recent formation from the papilla, and you 



24 EXIT FROM THE FOLLICLE. 

notice it is intimately connected with it. In young hairs this por- 
tion of the hair is not found, all the material going to form the 
fibrous and epidermal portion. The cells that go to make this 
up are the same as those found in the newly-formed portions 
of the fibrous part just described; the same as are also found 
in the papilla. As the hair is pushed gradually upwards, by 
the newly-forming cells below, they shrink up, become less 
regular in form, lose their nuclei, and leave vacant spaces 
between their walls for quite a large supply of residual air. 

The portion marked 5 in Fig. 7, is the outside or epidermal 
layer of the hair. Its origin, 4, is also in more or less spherical, 
nucleated cells, in common with the root-sheaths, which, as 
they are pushed further and further from the follicle, become 
flattened, lose their nuclei, and finally lie in imbricating layers, 
covering the entire circumference of the hair shaft. They are 
thin and transparent, when fully matured, and require the use 
of caustic soda solutions, or sulphuric acid, to separate them 
from their fellows, and show their form and structure. Their 
size varies from the lo 1 0O to the -gfo of an inch in diameter. 

Of the remaining portions of Fig. 7, 1 represents the hyaline 
membrane, or outer follicular layer; 2, the external root-sheath; 
3, the internal root-sheath ; 7, the papilla. 

EXIT FROM THE FOLLICLE. 

At the first formation of the hair-cylinder it does not issue 
point first from its follicle, but it is bent over upon itself, so 
that a loop is formed ; this loop gradually pushes its way 
through the follicular opening, and then, from its elasticity, 
the shaft straightens itself out. Indeed, it is the law of almost 
all growths, that the point does not issue direct from the parent- 
cell or follicle, but is bent downwards till the exit-making loop 
is formed. This you witness in the fullest degree in the growth 



SHEDDING AND EEGEOWTH OF HAIR. 25 

of plants from their seeds. Sometimes, for various reasons, 
prominent among which is the sealing of the follicle with seba- 
ceous matter, or its being covered over by the scales of the 
scarf-skin, or the outer walls adhering together, the hair cannot 
make its exit at all; in this case it keeps on its growth — for the 
papilla, as long as blood is sent to it in proper condition, never 
ceases its work — and doubles more and more upon itself until 
the follicle is fully distended. This produces intolerable itch- 
ing, and hence attention is directed to the seat of the malady. 
The imprisoned hairs are readily set at liberty by the use of 
strong alkaline washes (strong soap-suds is as good as anything), 
and frictions with coarse towels. The condition can also be 
recognized by the sight, the coiled hairs showing themselves as 
little black spirals beneath the skin. Occasionally the hairs will 
be found to be one-half an inch, or more, in length when released. 
Sometimes a whole limb may be thus affected. 
Aristotle (384 to 322 B. C.) has described the 
condition quite fully, although it is quite a rare 
malady. 

SHEDDING AND REGROWTH OF HAIR. g 

In the former chapter we spoke of the shedding 
of the foetal hair. This process, with the regen- 
eration of the hair, was first noticed by the 
German physiologist Kolliker. A diagram will 
perhaps aid us in more completely understanding 
this physiological process, see Fig. 8. In this, 1 
represents the eyelash of a child that was of 
intra-uterine growth, and is now about to be ^~ 8 
thrown off; 2 is the bulbous portion of the old 
hair severed by the constricting follicle, 3, from its papilla, 5; 
the new hair, 4, is just beginning to be formed, and is gradually 




26 



SHEDDING AND REGR0WTH OF HAIR. 



pushing the old one out of the follicle; 6 is a sebaceous gland, 
with its short duct emptying into the hair-follicle. 

The natural loss of hair, either through disease or the age of 
the hair itself, is through this same way, when the papilla is 
left uninjured. 

As a first step to this process there seems to be a fatty degen- 
eration of the cells at the summit of the papilla, induced either 
by improper blood-supply or through some slight injury, as 
pulling the hair. Since it is the tendency of the follicle' to 
keep contracted, of course, if the cellular elements are dimin- 
ished for a time, a constriction must necessarily take place; 
when once started, the nourishment of the hair is so materially 
lessened by the severing of the connection of the root-sheaths, 
which the constriction causes, that the hair must become 
ultimately separated from all nourishment, and hence sup- 
planted by one of more vigorous and healthy growth. 

The shedding of the hair-coats of our domestic animals, and 
the moulting of our fowls and birds, is from a similar physio- 
logical cause. The hair shaft has lived its life, the cell forma- 
tion is not sufficient to keep so long a hair in a live, or growing, 
condition, so the old hair is thrown out of the follicle by the' 
new growth forming below. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SHAFT EXTER- 
NAL TO THE FOLLICLE. 

We have come now to the consideration of the hair-cylinder 
as it exists without the follicle. Usually there is but one shaft 
having exit from the same follicle, yet two or more are some- 
times seen. 

Each hair is properly divided into three anatomical portions : 
1st, the bulb, which has already been described; 2d, the shaft, 
external to the follicle; 3d, the tip or point. 

The tip of the hair can be dismissed in a few words. Hairs, 
when healthy, have an acutely-shaped point. It is, like the 
sting of the bee, a typical point; indeed, Nature, when she 
makes a point, makes one that will bear the closest scrutiny. 
You put a hair under the microscope, and it there remains the 
same regularly and finely pointed object it resembles to the 
naked eye ; not so, though, the pointed objects that man may 
make. You examine the finest cambric needle, and it is a rough, 
notched and blunt object. Fig. 
9 gives a very good compara- 
tive illustration of the two 
objects, seen under the micro- 
scope ; H representing the 
hair point, and iYthe point of 
the needle. When the hair 
becomes diseased, then the 
point splits up into several 

layers, and if the split ends are not clipped off, as they should 
be, the cleft extends farther and farther up the shaft, until the 





28 THE SHAFT OF THE HAIR. 

greater portion of it is ruined; as the ragged ends are continu- 
ally snarling, and are being broken off by friction in combing, 
or by the clothing worn, or by the pillow. 

THE SHAFT OF THE HAIR. 

The shaft of the hair, as seen without the follicle, is also 
divided in three portions : 

1st. The medulla, or pith, represented 
diagrammatically by 1, Fig. 10. 

2d. The fibrous portion, 2, 2, Fig. 10. 

3d. The epithelial portion, 3, of the same 
figure. 
The Medulla or Pith. — This portion of 

the shaft is quite distinctly cellular, 
Fi 10 resembling the same portion found within 

the follicle, and occupies the center of the 
hair-cylinder. It grows gradually less marked until near the 
point, when it is entirely lost sight of. It is wanting in the 
fine, or downy hairs, and in some of the finer hairs of the head. 
It is from ^ to -J- of the diameter of the shaft, and is composed 
of small nucleated cells, from y-g-jhnr t0 Woo °f an i ncn m 
diameter; they are best brought out by soaking, for several 
days, in a two per cent caustic potash solution. It is seen most 
prominently in the thick, coarse hairs, as the eye-lashes, beard, 
and in the head hairs of the aged. The finest natural specimen 
that I have ever seen, showing the medulla as distinctly marked 
as in Fig. 10, was from the head of an Egyptian mummy, 
which, through the kindness of Bel a Hubbard, Esq., of Detroit, 
I was permitted to unwrap; and from which I obtained 
many specimens of the beard, head hair and eyebrows. I 
shall speak more fully elsewhere of my examination of the 



THE SHAFT OF THE HAIR. 



29 




Fig. 11. 



hairs from our friend who trod the streets of Thebes three 
thousand years ago. 

In animals this medullary portion is very much more marked, 
and in fact is quite characteristic. The rabbit, rat, skunk and 
mink have each a cellular arrangement of the medulla, of the 
hair-shaft, peculiar to themselves; 
and it is quite easy, with the aid 
of the microscope, to distinguish 
one from the other. In the fallow 
deer, 1, Fig. 11, the whole shaft of 
the hair, excepting the thin outer 
layer or cortex, is entirely cellular. 
2 represents the larger hair from a 
rat, while 3 shows the cellular 
arrangement seen in the hair from a white rabbit. Very simi- 
lar in arrangement of its cells as here seen, 3, Fig. 11, is the 
hair of the ordinary squirrel; the main difference is that in the 
squirrel these cells are opaque. 

So constant is the characteristic difference in the medullary 
cellular arrangement seen in hairs from different animals, that 
it is quite easy, in most instances, to name the species from 
which it was taken. The frauds of fur dealers may, by the 
means of the microscope, be thus detected, as these cellular 
markings are tel]-tales that they cannot by any manner of 
means disguise, without destroying the texture of the hair itself. 

This portion of the hair is the more recently formed portion 
of the hair-cylinder; and between the cells themselves there 
is considerable residual air, thus tending to give a white color to 
the shaft. In gray hairs it becomes more marked, as a natural 
process of physical degeneration; the cells themselves having 
become filled with air, and the fluid, natural to them in youth, 
becoming*; more or less absorbed. 



30 



THE SHAFT OF THE HAIE. 




Fig. 12. 



The Fibrous Portion—This portion of the shaft which lies 
just beneath the epithelial or outer coating, and surrounds the 
medullary portion on all sides, 2, 2, Fig. 10, goes to make up 
the bulk of each cylinder. The cells forming this portion are 
elongated, contain long nuclei, and are grouped together in 
fusiform bundles. Their length is 7 ^ to ^ 
of an inch; their breadth ^ to ^ of an 
inch. A few air cells are also found in this 
coating in the lighter colored hairs, hut in the 
black their place is fully taken by the increased 
number of pigment granules. These cells are 
best brought out by treating the section to 
be examined with a drop of strong sulphuric 
acid (sometimes it is necessary they should 
macerate in the acid half an hour, before showing them nicely) 
then pressing the covering-glass firmly down upon them, so as 
to separate the cells as much as possible. 

This portion of the hair is the chief source of its strength, 
for ha.r has a great deal of strength, when it is taken in the 
aggregate. A single hair will support, if healthy, four ounces. 
The supporting power, though, varies with the size of the hair- 
cylinder as found in different individuals, and also with its color 
and with the age of the individual, and the state of the health 
of the individual from which it is taken. Thus, a hair, light 
brown m color, and from a person aged eighty, would support 
but one and one-quarter ounces without breaking. A blonde 
hair filament from a child ten years of age, broke under a 
train of two and one-quarter ounces ; another blonde filament 
from a young lady, twenty-five years of age, broke on two and 
one-half ounces; a dark brown hair from the head of a lady 
aged seventeen years, broke at the same weight; a dark brown 
hair from a person aged thirty-eight, a red one from another 




THE SHAFT OF THE HA.IK. 31 



aged twenty-four, and one from a lady twenty-five years, broke 
on three ounces; a light brown one from a healthy girl, aged 
six years, broke on a strain of three and one-half ounces; a 
dark brown one from a young lady, twenty-four years of age, 
held four ounces suspended; another hair of the same color 
and one from a lady of same age, held suspended over four 
and one-quarter ounces without breaking. 

From this it will be readily seen that the assertions we are 
about to make admit of mathematical proof, and that hair, in 
the aggregate, has a great deal of strength. A single head of 
hair of average growth and luxuriousness, in any audience of 
two hundred people, will hold supported that entire audience, 
and yet have a large quantity of supporting power to spare. 

Putting it still in a little different light, the hairs from the 
heads of the citizens of Detroit (present population, 130,000), 
if taken collectively, represent a breaking strain of quite 
2,000,000 of tons; a load that would take about 5,000 of our 
locomotive engines to transport. 

Still making a larger illustration, the hairs from the heads 
of the present inhabitants of the globe, could hold supported 
in space, against the gravity of the earth, the planet Yesta, 
and yet have 7,000,000,000,000 of tons of strength to spare; an 
amount of reserved strength that if represented in miles would 
take the earth, moving at the rate of 1,600,000 miles per day, 
1,458 years to traverse. Surely then, hair, in Samson, was a 
fitting emblem for his strength, and when Delilah shore him of 
his locks no wonder he lost his strength also. 

The elasticity of the hair also resides in this same portion of 
the cylinder. The long, spindle-shaped cells that go to form 
it, allow a still greater elongation of themselves, only to spring 
back again, from their resiliency, to somewhat near their former 
length. This extensibility equals, on the average, nearly 



32 THE SHAFT OF THE HAIR. 

one-third the normal length of the hair. Thus, if a hair 36 
inches in length be carefully stretched to its full capacity, it 
would then measure 48 inches. After the weight was removed 
it would gradually retract, but would never regain its prior 
dimensions. 

This property of the hair is not constant, as it varies with 
the size of the hair, its color and the person from whom taken, 
as this table of the results of experiments will show: 

Color. Age. Measured. Stretched to Contracted to 

Dark brown 25 36 46 40 

Dark brown ." 24 31 36 34 

Light brown 80 7 9 7^ 

Red 24 12 16 

Light brown 6 13 17 

Dark brown 17 27J^ 34 

Dark brown 38 11% U)4 

The coloring matter of the hair is found in this fibrous por- 
tion, as before announced. The cells are pigmented, either 
light or dark, according to the prevailing tint of the hair; pig- 
ment granules are also found between the cellular layers. The 
pigmentation is not evenly distributed, either within or without 
the cells, but seems to be somewhat linear in its arrangement, 
although it is not deposited in continuous lines. In some 
animals, as for instance the rat, the cells are (irregularly) alter- 
nately colored and uncolored; the result of this is that it gives 
a sort of a gray look to the hair, which we call " mouse color." 
One or two instances of human hair being somewhat similarly 
colored are on record; we give them in full in the chapter upon 
the Color of the Hair. 

This brings us now to the consideration of the third or outer 
covering of the hair. 

The Epidermal Coat. — This is an imbricating cellular layer ; 
that is, the flat, quadrilateral oid cells, see Fig. 13, forming it 




THE SHAFT OF THE HAIR. 



33 




Fig. 13. 



overlap each other, just as the tiles or shingles do each other on 
our houses, or the scales upon a fish's 
body. The scales are hard, dry, thin and 
transparent, and need the use of strong 
sulphuric acid or caustic potash to bring 
them out. They contain no nucleus or 
nucleolus, and are about the 10 1 00 of an 
inch in width, their length being some five 
or six times that. They are analogous to 
the outer covering, or scarf-skin, of the 
hand, or any portion of the human body. 
The scales were originally spheroidal cells, but by process of 
age, and from the moulding influence of the root follicle, their 
contents have become absorbed and they have gradually 
become flattened until they have acquired their present con- 
dition and arrangement. They are all placed somewhat regu- 
larly about the cylinder of the hair-shaft, and all with their 
free edges toward the point of the hair. This gives a some- 
what serried look to the edges of the hair, when seen through 
a microscope, as is represented in Fig. 14; 
1 shows the shaft itself ; 2, the edge of it 
as it is more highly magnified. The imbri- 
cations will not be so plainly marked ex- 
cept in specimens that have been subjected 
to the action of reagents. The more usual 
appearance of the hair, as seen under the 
microscope, is that seen in Fig. 15. This is from a child, and 
is magnified three hundred and seventy diameters. In children, 
however, the imbrications are not shown as distinctly as in 
the hairs from adults. This peculiarity of arrangement of 
the scales can be detected by the touch; thus drawing the 
hair briskly through the fingers, from the tip to the root, it 




Fig. 14. 



34 



THE SHAFT OF THE HAIR. 




will then seem to be rough and uneven. Often when quite 
firm pressure is used a humming sound may be produced by 

this manoeuvre. You can 
by this means always tell 
which is the root-end and 
which the tip-end of the 
hair, as the overlapping 
layers lie from the roots. 
Now if you turn the hair, 
end for end, and draw it 
from the root to the tip, 
it will be felt to be smooth 
and even. Advantage 
has been taken of this 
fact by hair dealers and 
dressers, in arranging 
their stock. Where the hair has become disarranged, that 
s, a part with the roots one way and the remainder with the 
tips in the same direction, the whole is thrown upon a smooth, 
hard surface, and rolled briskly back and forth with the palm 
of the hand, or pulp of the fingers, when those with the roots 
in the same direction will begin to " back out " from the mass, 
and can then be easily sorted out and arranged in a proper man- 
ner. Were this caution not taken (to have the points all one 
way) the hair would never lie evenly and smoothly upon the 
head. This same " rolling " process, in a minor degree, takes 
place at each twist of the head on the pillow, and hence 
explains why our ladies' hairs are less snarled and tangled than 
they would otherwise be after a night's repose. 

This principle is also taken advantage of in the case of hairs 
(wool) from sheep and goats. The manfacture of felting is pos- 
sible only upon this natural condition of serration and imbrica- 



THE SHAFT OF THE HAIR. 



35 




Fig. 16. 



tion of the cortical layer of cells about the shaft of the hair, 
since they allow a sort of " interlocking," when under pressure, 
to take place, and so form that thick, firm article known as 
"felt cloth." Wools differ in the fineness of these serrations, 
and upon this their commercial value is graded. In Leicester 
wool the serrations are 1,850 to the inch; in South-down, 2,080; 
in Merino, 2,040; in fine Saxon, 2,720. The finer the serrations, 
as a rule, the closer and finer is the cloth woven from it. 

The shrinking of woolen goods 
by washing, etc., is owing to a 
closer interlacement of the wool 
fibres, through the friction of the 
wash-board and agency of the hot 
water. 

In some animals we have this 
outer covering greatly developed. 
In the India bat, for instance, see Fig. 16, 1, they stand out 
trumpet-shaped, resembling lilac blossoms threaded one within 
the other, as children are wont to string them 
together for necklaces. Fig. 2, of the same 
plate, shows the imbrications as still more 
prominently developed; they whorl about the 
shaft as so many spikes; this is from the cater- 
pillar. In swans' down used in winter trimming 
of ladies' and children's cloaks, the imbrications, 
see 3, same plate, resemble shallow cups, trans- 
fixed by a long central shaft, or honeysuckles 
strung together by threading one within the 
other. Another very singularly marked hair is 
from the Dermestes lardarius in its larval state. 
This insect is found frequently in our museums and cabinets, 
feeding upon fur, skins and other animal substances. There 




Fig. 17. 



36 THE SHAFT OF THE HAIR. 

are four or five spines in each whorl about the cylindrical 
shaft, the top of which is surmounted by a whorl of six large 
pendant filaments, Fig. 17. 

This coating of the hair is exceedingly thin, being but the 
3 0*0 of an inch in thickness upon the external shaft. Lower 
down, in the follicle, it is considerably thicker and softer, and 
is in two layers at the lower portion of the root. 

Notwithstanding that this layer is so very thin, were it pos- 
sible to remove it from all the hairs from the heads of the people 
of Detroit, and pile each layer one upon the other, we would 
have a higher than Ossa on Pelion, for the mass of imbricating 
hair scales would measure over twenty miles in height. Or, 
taking it from the head-hairs of the citizens of Chicago, and 
placing the layers edgewise, you will have a foot-walk over 
one hundred miles in length. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE HAIR-SHAFT— {Continued.) 
On transverse section the shaft is seen to have an irregularly- 
ovoid or cylindrical shape, though this varies exceedingly with 
the individual from whom it was taken, and the part from 
whence plucked. Nationality has much to do with the shape. 
The Aryan races have an oval outline, whereas the Semitic 
have a more or less angular contour to the hair. In Europeans, 
and the light-haired races generally, it is quite a regular oval, 
as in the cut here given, Fig. 
18. 1 represents the medulla; 
2, the fibrous portion; 3, the 
epithelial portion ; 4, a more 
cylindrical hair, one character- 
istic of black-haired races, like 
the Chinese or East Indian, 
and is not marked by a pith. 
In the North American Indian 
it is cylindrical, and in the 
Malay and Japanese nearly so. 
In the African it is what may 
be termed elliptical, or eccentrically elliptical, and sometimes 
it is even kidney-shaped. In the Bushmen it is ribbon-like; 
the race being what you might denominate a flat-haired one, 
as their hair is four or five times as broad as it is thick. The 
hair of the Negro has no central canal or medulla, and the 
coloring matter is pretty generally scattered all through its 
substance. The Negro's hair will " felt," whereas the Europe- 
an's will not. 




Fig. 18. 



38 



WHY HAIR CURLS. 



The ancient Egyptians had almost cylindrical hair, as my 
specimens show, and hence there would be but little tendency 
to curling of their hirsute covering ; indeed, all their pictures 
on their monuments represent them as people of straight hair. 
They were a dark-haired race also. 

In the ancient Assyrian sculptures we see the Assyrio-Ninevi- 
tish race with a profusion of curls, hence their hair must have 
approached the Anglo-European type, ovoid on transverse 
section. 

The hirsute specimens I have examined from the heads of the 
Peruvian Incas, given me by that industrious collector, Prof. 
Steere, of Michigan University, show a decided tendency to the 
cylindrical outline. Further on I shall devote a special chapter 
to the consideration of these three varieties of hair. 



WHY HAIR CURLS. 

On this ovoid condition 
of the hair, depends, in a 
great degree, its curling 
or non-curling qualities. 
The beard is decidedly 
elliptical, and we all know 
how much more curly it 
is than the shafts of our 
head coverings. Fig. 19, 
is a very highly magnified 
section of beard-hair, and 
shows the central pith 
very distinctly. The rea- 
Flg " 19 ' son of its curling prop- 

erties is this: You will remember in a former chapter I 
spoke of the elasticity of the fibrous layer, that layer made 




WHY HAIR CURLS. 39 

up of long, nucleated, extensile and retractile cells; the one 
that makes up the chief bulk of the hair and surrounds the 
medulla or pith. 

In the straight-haired races the fibres of this middle layer 
are deposed regularly and evenly about the central pith, and 
hence a perfect cylinder is the result. As this fibrous portion 
is the seat of elasticity and strength, it follows that the tension 
must be equal on all sides of a shaft of this shape, and hence 
there is no twisting of the hair upon its central axis; in other 
words, no curling results. The small downy hairs of the body 
belong to this class. 

In hairs of ovoid form, as in the wavy and curly-haired 
races, the fibrous portion being unevenly distributed about the 
axis, it follows that tension is unevenly distributed, and hence 
a coiling or curling ensues. 

In the elliptical or kidney-shaped hairs, as belong to the 
negro families, this coiling tendency is greatly increased, for 
the distribution of the fibrous portion is more unevenly dis- 
tributed about the medulla than in the oval-haired races. 

Hair being hydroscopic, it is from this fact liable to have its 
curling properties influenced by the state of the atmosphere. 
Our young belles complain of this quality very bitterly, when, 
after an hour's exposure in a crowded ball-room, their " frizzes " 
and crisp " curls " become lank shreds of their former selves. 
The aqueous vapor thrown off from the lungs and bodies 
(through transpiration) of the dancers has been absorbed by the 
dry and crispy hairs, and hence their beauty of form quickly 
vanishes away. The fibre-cells of the hair-cylinder which have 
been stretched, and then dried, into an abnormal position by the 
hot curling-iron, becoming moistened, soften down and finally 
assume their normal condition, which results in an untwisting 
of the crimps and frizzes. Until something can be invented 



40 WHY HAIR CURLS. 

that will absorb the exhaled and transpired material from our 
bodies — for the lungs and skin are the main sewers — just so 
long will society be imposed upon by this " undoing " quality 
of fashionably-dressed heads of hair. 

This hydroscopic quality has been taken advantage of in the 
manufacture of certain scientific instruments. Thus, in certain 
of the so-called aneroid barometers, the working force is but 
the extension and contraction of hair under the influence of 
moisture, and the measured amount of this extension or con- 
traction is read upon the dial plate in the translated terms of 
either fair or foul weather. 

In hot, dry climates the hair of a straight-haired European 
assumes the locks of the ancient Jove. A good instance of 
this is given by Mr. St. John, in his " Travels in the Valley 
of the Nile." He says: " The effect of the climate of Egypt 
upon the hair is remarkable. Why, our beard, which in Europe 
[all Europeans have an ovoid hair, and hence it is curlingly 
inclined from this anatomical peculiarity] was soft and silky and 
almost straight, began immediately on my arrival in Alexan- 
dria to curl, grow crisp and strong, and before I reached Es-souan 
resembled horse hair to the touch, and was also disposed in 
ringlets about the chin. This is, no doubt, to be accounted for 
by the extreme dryness of the air. * * * On my return to 
Malta my curls had all disappeared." 

Mr. St. John accounted for the curly-headed condition of the 
Negro in this wise: "The extreme dryness of the air, which, 
operating through several thousand years, has in the interior 
changed the hair of the Negro into a kind of coarse wool." 

Undoubtedly Mr. St. John is partially right, for it is the 
tendency of all ovoidal hair to curl, and especially so in a dry 
climate, or under anti-hydroscopic conditions. As to the hair 
of the Negro being " coarse wool," one of our most competent 



THE SIZE OF THE HAIE. 41 

observers avers that the individual hairs of this race are finer 
than in the European. 

THE SIZE OP THE HAIR. 

The diameter of a hair-shaft varies with the nationality, color, 
age and sex of the individual, as well as the locality from which 
the specimen is taken. The beard is notoriously coarse and 
harsh; so also the pelvic and axillary hairs, the eyebrows and 
eyelashes. 

In the aged the hairs of the head are coarser than in youth, 
and in youth coarser than in babyhood. 

In the New Zealander they are coarser than in the South 
American Indian, whilst the Indian's are coarser than the 
European's. In the first they average -g-J^ of an inch in diam- 
eter, the extremes being, of fifty hairs examined, ^-J^- and -g-J-g- 
of an inch; in the second, from the -g-J-g- to the ^-J-g- of an inch 
in diameter, the extremes being, of one hundred and fifty-five 
hairs examined, lo t 0o and ¥ ^ of an inch; in the third, the 
European, their diameters averaged from the -^-J-g- to the T ^- s - of. 
an inch, the extremes being, of two thousand hairs examined, 
15 1 00 and yj-g- of an inch; probably ^g-g- of an inch is the gen- 
eral average diameter. 

Small though a single shaft may be, that is, it will take four 
hundred of them laid side by side to measure one linear inch, 
yet when you come to take them in the aggregate, the surface 
they would cover is really immense. For instance, taking our 
Detroit illustration again: If the hairs from the present pop- 
ulation were laid dde by side, we would have a foot-walk, 
averaging about twelve inches in width, over six hundred miles 
in length. Or, from the citizens of Philadelphia, a hirsute 
walk, six feet in width, could be laid upon every street of their 
city throughout the street's entire length. Or, from the cities 



42 THE SIZE OF THE HAIR. 

of New York and Brooklyn combined, a hirsute walk one foot 
wide that would much more than reach from the north pole to 
the south pole, were it possible to lay it on the earth's axis. 
Or if taken from the inhabitants of the whole earth, the 
twelve-inch hirsute walk would belt the globe 280 times at the 
equator, or could furnish thirty, each a foot in width, to reach 
the moon. In fine, to briefly formulate these facts, it is safe 
to say that any city can pave its streets with human hair, 
to the width of six feet, throughout the entire length of the 
same. 

I have just said that sex had much to do with the size of the 
hair; the hair of men, although common opinion be to the 
contrary, is finer than that of women, the difference being in 
favor of the former by some l5 1 00 of an inch, when contrasting 
the coarsest hairs of the male (European) with the coarsest of 
the female of same nationality. A like increase of the size of 
the hair-shaft, on the part of the female, is noticed when com- 
paring the finest hairs from the two sexes. These figures are 
the average, as deduced from the careful examination of the 
hairs from thirty-six individuals, eighteen being male and 
eighteen being female, and with a total number of one thou- 
sand and sixteen hairs examined from the males, and nine hun- 
dred and forty from the females. The measurements were 
carefully made by one of the greatest of English physicians, 
Dr. Erasmus Wilson, one whose recent work, in great things, 
although the object has a diminutive name, has made his name 
prominent among all nations; I allude now to his removal 
from the banks of the Nile, at Alexandria, Egypt, Cleopatra's 
Needle, and its setting up upon the banks of his home river, 
the Thames. 

On the same head, even, there will be a great difference in the 
size of the hair-shafts. Thus, from a table given by Wilson, 



HAIE IN ITS SOCIAL BEARINGS. 



43 



we deduce the following results, from the examination of 
upwards of fifty hairs from each of six individuals: 



(1) 

(2) 
(3) 

W 

(5) 
(6) 


Number 
of hairs. 

67 
79 
81 
97 
64 
57 

, 445 


Finest. Coarsest. 

lg 1 00 of an inch, yto of an inch, 
i u i « 


Average. 

TTo oi 

TTo 
l 

400 

■1 

4 

4~0~0~ 
2T0" 

1 

3 9 1 


an inch. 

a 


12 50 230 

1 a l " 


a 


150 30 

TTo TTo 

1 a 1 ■ Ci 

Too ~2T~o 
l » _1_ " 

5 50 210 


a 
a 

a 


Total 


1 « 1 « 


a 


100 8 "2~4¥ 





Color has much to do with the size of the hair-shafts; not, 
perhaps, as prima causa, but as an incidental accompaniment. 
The dark-colored hair belongs to the coarser variety. The size 
of the shaft as regards the color, is graded in this way: 

Flaxen hair is the finest, averaging from the ^-g- to -^-q of 
an inch; the second on the list is chestnut hair, measuring -g-J-g- 
to -g-J^- of an inch in diameter; the third is red hair, measuring 
the j^j- to ^J-Q of an inch; the fourth is dark brown hair, 
measuring the -^- to the -g^- of an inch; the fifth, light brown, 
measuring the yj^ to the -^jt °^ an mcn 5 sixth, black, measur- 
ing the 4^0 to the yjy of an inch. Taking the average of all 
these we find that ^Jy °^ an mcn * s tne average diameter; 
taking this with the average given in the above table, we get 
y|y of an inch as the average size of the hair-shaft of the 
adult scalp; hence, in round numbers ^Jy of an inch should be 
taken as the average diameter of the head-hair of the civilized 
races. 

HAIR IN ITS SOCIAL BEARINGS. 

From a closer examination of the first table it will be seen 
that the ratio existing between the coarsest and the finest hairs 



44 NUMBER OF HAIRS TO THE SQUARE INCH. 

is as one to five, in the general average, and that it holds pretty- 
constantly the same in the individual cases; that is, that the 
coarsest hairs will be five times the diameter of the finest. 
Now, in the less civilized nations there is not near so wide a 
range, neither is there in the hair from children, for in them 
the size of the hair cylinders is pretty nearly the same. Thus 
in the South American Indian's, the ratio is as one to three. 
In the New Zealander's (a more limited number of examina- 
tions, however, yet there were fifty hairs carefully measured), 
the ratio is as one to two. Would it be stretching the point 
too much to affirm, then, that the progress of civilization and 
culture can be marked, to a certain degree, by the amount of 
variability in the size of the hair-shafts of the head ? It would 
seem not, from the figures and ratios just given. 

NUMBER OP HAIRS TO THE SQUARE INCH. 

Intimately connected with the size of the hair is its thickness 
of growth, or the number of filaments that are to be found 
upon a square inch of surface. The coarser (darker-colored) 
it is, the thinner it will be, and vice versa. 

As our flaxen hair is the finest, it follows then that the own- 
ers thereof are the richer in their comate possessions. Thus, it 
is nothing uncommon for them to brush out and untangle 
seventy miles of golden locks when making their morning 
toilet, whilst some luxuriate in the richness of ninety, and even 
one hundred miles of these aureate possessions. The only 
wonder is that the delicate threads are not more kinked and 
knotted after a night at the ball. 

The scalp bears more, in the same superficial measurement, 
than auy other portion of the body, and even hereon they vary 
much in number, according to the portion from which taken: 
thus, on the crown they are the most plenty; on the back of 



NUMBER OF HAIRS TO THE SQUARE INCH. 45 

the head next in quantity, and on the forehead still more 
scattering. On the chin there are some one hundred and sixty 
to the square inch; on the pelvis, one hundred and forty; on 
the forearm one hundred; on the back of the hand eighty; on 
the thigh, anterior surface, forty-five. 

The number of the hairs upon the head also vary with the 
color grown by the individual. Thus, of the black, we have 
five hundred and ninety-eight to each square inch; of the 
chestnut, six hundred and forty-eight; of the flaxen, seven 
hundred and twenty-eight. This is in about the same ratio as 
the variability of size in these same colors. It would also 
follow as a corollary (as the hair is coarser) that the female has 
fewer than the male, in the same amount of cranial surface. 
As there are some one hundred and twenty superficial square 
inches of the average sized scalp, it would follow that a black- 
haired individual has some (in round numbers) seventy-two 
thousand hairs covering his head; the chestnut-haired person, 
some seventy-eight thousand; the flaxen-haired some eighty- 
eight thousand. Another author, however, has made the esti- 
mate much larger, as he has recognized the fact, in his compu- 
tations, that many of the follicles give exit to two or more 
hairs, and so puts the number of hairs in an average sized 
head, and of average luxuriousness of growth, at 120,000. 
From my observations this would seem the more correct esti- 
mate. The significance of the saying " Even the very hairs of 
your heads are numbered," can now be more fully appreciated. 

Whilst our " blondes," then, are so rich in their wealth of 
golden tresses, their darker-haired sisters are compelled to be 
satisfied with fifty, forty, yes, and some red-haired sisters, with 
but thirty-six miles of this covering that St. Paul says is " a 
glory to her." While the first has the more from which to tie 
true love-knots, nature has allowed the darker-haired ones to tie 



46 NUMBER OF HAIRS TO THE SQUARE INCH. 

theirs the stronger, a more than compensating result ensuing; 
for, as I shall show further on, the darker-haired may have 
three husbands to the golden-haired's two. 

Although 120,000, the average number of liairs of an average 
head (but not of an average man, I am sorry to say, for such 
often have no cause for comate boasting) may seem a large 
number to put upon so small a surface as the scalp, yet it is 
absolutely nothing when compared with the amount found upon 
animals or insects. For instance, on a single square inch of 
surface of the coarse-wooled English breeds of sheep, there are 
from 5,000 to 6,000 filaments, and on the Merino-blooded, there 
are some 50,000, instead of the average 1,000 as found upon 
our heads; and upon the feet (pulvilli) of the common house- 
fly, I have counted them repeatedly and found them to be at 
the rate of over 80,000,000 to same amount of surface; an 
amount which if in miles and multiplied by one hundred and 
twenty (the number of square inches in our scalps), would equal 
a distance that would take a railroad car, going at the rate of 
a mile a minute night and day, over eighteen thousand years to 
traverse; a time represented by more than three times the 
interval that separates the birth-time of Adam from this the 
nineteenth century. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE H AIR-SHAFT— ( Concluded. ) 

"Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare, 
And beauty draws us with a single hair."— Pope. 

THE HAIR CURRENTS. 

On examination you will notice that hairs do not all point 
in the same direction, but they seem to assume geometric 
curves about the body. This is because the follicles them- 
selves are placed at varying angles in the skin; they do not, as 
a rule, pierce it perpendicularly, but at some oblique angle, 
and point in different directions. 

To this anatomical peculiarity is due the possibility of 
arranging the hair artistically, as well as the possibility of its 
easy sweeps and curves about the body, when left in its dishev- 
eled state. There are several centers for this capillary radia- 
tion, not only on the cranial surface, but on the limbs, as well 
as trunk. 

When these centers of the scalp are, from some freak of 
nature, misplaced, we have the rebellious u frizzle tops," that 
admit of no special influence of the boudoir comb or brush, but 
seem always free to assert their criss-cross-lying independence. 
Many a poor mother has half worried her life out trying to 
train her Johnny's rebellious locks into better ways, believing 
it was Johnny's own perverseness of manners that induced 
such dilapidated-looking head-gear, when it really was none of 
Johnny's fault at all, but simply a freak of nature in misplac- 
ing the radiating centers of his hirsute covering. 



48 THE HAIR CURRENTS. 

So, too, many a belle, in and out of her teens, has " banged " 
these same rebelliously acting locks of hers, to the distraction of 
her better temper, oftentimes, no doubt, and yet with no more 
lasting impression upon the refractory hairs than Johnny's 
mother made upon his. 

On the crown there is usually but a single center, and from 
this point the hairs radiate downwards on all sides, in gentle 
sweeps, until the whole scalp has been'covered. If there should 
be a radiating center placed low down, towards the forehead, 
then we get our rebellious " cow-licks," as they are generally 
called; if two radiating centers on the crown, then the " frizzle 
tops" just described. Still, with perseverance on the part of 
the mother and child, this natural cosmetic deformity may be, 
in a great measure, overcome; for a hair bulb that, at first, per- 
sistently turned its shaft to the right, may be educated to turn 
it to the left; thereby restoring harmony among these more 
weakly members of our bodies. 

On the forehead the curves radiate from the median line to 
the right and left, with a curving sweep downwards over the 
temples, forming the outer half of the eyebrows, and, in men, 
the upper, or aural, portion of the whiskers. On the cheeks 
the currents are downwards, curving round on the lower jaw 
to the chin. On the upper lip the moustaches are formed by 
two outward sweeps from the median line. On the body 
there is a main center at each arm-pit; from these points a cur- 
rent sweeps forwards over the chest, to the median line, where 
it descends to the umbilicus. Another current, from the same 
centers, in an easy double curve, covers the abdomen, thence is 
continued down the thighs to the knees, where it seems to split 
and surround the leg at this point. From the arm-pit, as a 
center again, a third current sweeps round to the back, whilst 
another encircles the arm at the shoulder, running therefrom 



THE HAIR CURRENTS. 49 

down to the hand, where it has an outward deflexion. On the 
front of the forearm is a downward and bilateral current, that 
meets with divers others, and the combined currents cover this 
member completely, so far as its hirsute growth is concerned. 
On the thigh, besides the downward and inward current just 
referred to, there is another one that sets in at the middle of the 
outer portion, and continues down it, and the leg, then turns 
somewhat diagonally across the instep to the first toe-cleft. 
On the back of the leg there is an upward current, a sort of 
a resultant from the union of the two outward flowing currents, 
that covers the remaining portion of the limb with its hirsute 
apparel. 

There is, in fine, in the direction of these hair currents, as 
they surround -the body, much to remind one of the oceanic 
currents, as seen enveloping the continents on a Mercator's pro- 
jection; the main currents of the one correspond, figuratively, 
with those of the other; whilst the minor currents of the body 
will represent those seen on the map in the gulfs, seas and bays. 

Much of this same regularity of hirsute covering is seen in 
animals; and in all there is a unity of design that is little 
thought of by the careless or hurried observer. In all the fine 
hairs follow the course of the medullary arteries of the long 
bones. In swift-footed animals the direction of the sweep of 
the currents is from the wind when in flight. This same 
principle is also seen in the arrangement of the feathers on 
our birds and fowls, and the scales on our fishes; the evident 
design being to facilitate locomotion by offering as little fric- 
tional resistance to the surrounding medium as possible. 

In burrowing animals this same backward-flowing of the 
hirsute currents is noticed, except in the species noted for 
digging very small, and closely-fitting burrows; never making 
them large enough to allow themselves to turn about in them, 



50 THE HAIR CURRENTS. 

so as to be able to come out head first. These animals have 
the power of changing the currents of hair-growth, from the 
usual course of before backwards, to from behind, forwards ; 
this being taken advantage of when in its burrow, allows it 
an easy egress from its narrow, single-entranced habitation. 
Moles, shrews and the platypi have this peculiarity; the stem 
of the hair being filamentous, but the terminal portions broader, 
it is easy for them to make the change in the direction of their 
hair currents. 

Sometimes in fowls a somewhat similar arrangement will be 
seen (though the deformity remains permanent) in the contrari- 
wise arrangement of its feathers. My father once possessed 
a hen whose feathers all ran the wrong way; those on the legs 
ran up towards the body, those on the body and neck up 
towards the head. This gave her a perpetual "out of sorts" 
look; and when the patient biddy would essay an aerial sail, 
she was doomed to continual disappointment; for the result 
was always that which befell " Darius Green " with his flying 
machine. 

A few varieties of our domestic pigeons have a rough neck- 
gear all the time; whilst others have the power of assuming 
one as the occasion may demand, just as Tabby erects the hair 
on her back and tail when Fido approaches too near her. 
These all are but rudimentary examples of the phenomenon 
seen in the burrowing animals just spoken of. 

In man we also get a hint of it in the erection of the hairs 
of the head, when frightened, and also in the " goose skin " 
condition spoken of on page 20, which is developed on expo- 
sure to cold, and sometimes to fright. Virgil has spoken of it 
in this wise: 

Obstiipui, steteruntque comae. 

I stood aghast! and my hair rose on end. 



THE LENGTH OF HAIR. 51 

But the oldest reference to this condition of the hair and 
flesh is found in the book of Job (1520 B. C.) chap, iv, verse 
15, where Eliphaz, the Temanite, describing his sensations 
when a spirit passed by, says: ^"tea rtCSFjP "ftapfli ~?~: •?2~>* ~ !r >*u 

Then a spirit passed before my face; 
The hair of my body stood up. 

THE LENGTH OF HAIR. 

Among members of the same races there is a great variation 
of the length of the hair. Between the sexes there is also a great 
difference noticed in the length of the cranial hirsute, covering, 
that of the female being usually much the longer. There are 
three important physiological reasons why a woman's hair is 
longer than her husband's. The first is, that since nature has 
withdrawn from her the hair-growth of the face, and in a major 
degree that of the body, a larger supply of hirsute-forming 
material is left for the scalp. The second is, that the hair having 
a larger diameter of shaft, it is stronger, and hence less liable 
to break; also the formative power of the papillae is increased. 
The third reason is that she is usually less engaged in mental 
labors, or business worry, and so there results more constant 
and even supply of blood to the scalp. 

That her head is less constantly covered, and even when 
covered, ventilation of the scalp and hair is so much better, 
might also be adduced as another reason for finding longer 
hair in the female. Darwin gives still another reason, that of 
" sexual selection:" that is, man admires now a fine head of 
hair in the opposite sex; it is fair to suppose this preference 
has always existed; hence, as the result of centuries of such 
selection, the hair must have been developed in a greater degree 
in the female in each succeeding generation. 

The political significance of long hair, in a nation that, as a 



52 THE LENGTH OF HAIR. 

whole, wear the hair short, as worn by the male, is that of 
hostility to both church and state; in Austria, so well has this 
feature been understood, that it is made a political offense to 
be so attired. It signifies, in such persons, an outreism — a 
rebellion against general customs, tastes and thought. 

Between different nations there is a great difference in the 
length of their cranial coverings; those of cylindrically-shaped 
shafts have the longest hairs, as notably the Chinese, Malay, 
and some of the Indian races. The more irregular the shape 
of the shaft, as a rule, the shorter is the cranial covering, as 
notably the Negro races. 

In the Malays, hair seven feet in length is occasionally seen; 
whilst it is not so very uncommon to see it trail on the ground 
when walking. 

The longest hair that I have seen in the female is that 
belonging to Mrs. Dr. Prittie, of Detroit. She is now twenty- 
eight years of age, and her hair measures some fifty-eight inches 
in length; it is very dark colored. I have measured the diameter 
of the shaft and find it to be -gfa of an inch. Luxuriant hair- 
growths have been characteristic of her father's family, espe- 
cially among the male members. Latterly the excessive growth 
she carries has begun to make quite a serious drain upon her 
system, though in former years no ill effects were noticed. 

Dr. Wilson says that a lady writes to him that she is five 
feet eight inches in height, and that, when standing, many of 
her hairs trail three or four inches upon the floor. She is 
twenty-eight years of age, hair wavy (hence of the ovoid 
shaft) and it gives positive pain to have one pulled from the 
follicle. 

A lady in Massachusetts is reported to have refused $1,000 
for her head of hair, which is quite thick and heavy, and 
measures five feet and eleven inches in length. 



THE LENGTH OF HAIR. 53 

The Empress of Austria is said to have a head of thick, 
golden hair reaching down to her feet, when standing erect. 

White speaks of an Italian lady whose hair trailed on the 
floor when she walked; in Greece it is occasionally seen of 
equal length. 

In 1814, in Fleet street, London, a girl was exhibited having 
a head of flaxen hair five feet and nine inches in length. Then 
there was Lady Godiva, of Coventry, celebrated in verse by 
Tennyson, who rode through the streets of her town with no 
covering but her hair, in order to save the yeomanry from 
unjust oppression. You all know the fate of Peeping Tom on 
that occasion. The lady was the wife of Leofric, Earl of 
Mercia, and her hair, of beautiful flaxen, is said to have reached 
below her knees. Then there is the legend of St. Agnes (A. D. 
304) who, condemned to the stake, used her hair, when stripped 
of her clothing, to protect her person from exposure. 

In 1786 a woman gave exhibitions in London, of the length 
and strength of her hair. She would stoop down and encircle 
a large anvil, weighing some two hundred pounds, with her 
locks, and then easily raise it from the ground. 

The ancient Briton females had hair that grew to immense 
length also; indeed, to this day it is quite common, in alluding 
to such a covering upon a fair-skinned English lady, to liken 
her to the old type of beauty common in Britain's early history. 

It is evident, also, that Mary Magdalene, who washed our 
Saviour's feet with her tears, and then " wiped them with the 
hairs of her head," must have had hair of luxuriant and lengthy 
growth. Then there is the Juliet who flung her tresses to her 
lover over the terrace wall, when he came too late at night to 
find entrance at the castle's gate, so as to aid him in scaling the 
otherwise impassable barrier. All these are more or less famil- 
iar examples of the exceptional luxuriance of hair growth. 



54 THE LENGTH OF HAIR. 

The average length, in women of the Anglo-Saxon race, is 
from eighteen to twenty-four inches; though thirty-six inch 
hair is not at all uncommon for the darker hues, and is even 
quite frequently seen in light-colored heads of hair. In men, 
of course, there is no "average length," as it is usually kept 
closely cut; it is probable, reasoning upon the physiological 
fact that they grow beards and whiskers, and that more 
hair is found generally over the body, that there is less hair- 
forming pabulum circulating in the tissues of the scalp, and 
hence its growth would be less excessive than that seen in 
women, if allowed to remain uncut; though a Prussian officer, 
during the earlier part of the century, boasted of a bead of 
hair that, when undone, would reach the ground. 

Godfrey, who has devoted considerable attention to this sub- 
ject, gives this classification: 

1st. The long, soft hairs, as those of the scalp, vary from one 
foot to three feet in length, and from fa to fa of a line in diam- 
eter; the average length would then be about two feet. His 
diameter is too coarse. 

2d. The short, stiff and thick hairs, from J to \ of an inch 
in length, as the eye-brows and the like, vary from the y 1 ^ to 
the -^3 of a line in diameter. 

3d. The short, fine hairs, as the " down " that coats the body, 
vary from one to six lines in length, and from the T J-g- to the 
Y^-g- of a line in diameter. 

Taking now, as a basis of mathematical computation, the 
average number of hairs, and the average length as previously 
given, we find that every female, reaching the age of sixteen 
or eighteen years of age, has from forty to eighty miles of 
comate covering, and that every male has an average of from 
eight to ten miles. Making our average again, we find that, 
taking the run of population, young and old, urale and female 



RAPIDITY OF HAIR GROWTH. 55 

together, that from twenty to twenty-two miles per head can 
be safely assumed. 

On this basis, were it possible to place end to end the hirsute 
covering of the heads of Detroit's citizens, we would have a 
hair-line long enough to more than reach thirteen times to the 
moon, or one that would belt the earth some one hundred and 
twenty times at its equator. 

If the computation be made for the citizens of New York 
city and Brooklyn, it will be found that the line will stretch 
out to so vast a distance that it would take a railroad car, 
traveling at the rate of one mile each minute of time, and 
constantly running night and day, the time of two generations 
of men to traverse. 

Or, take the hairs from the heads of the people of the United 
States, and place them end to end, and you could stretch a 
line from the earth to the sun, the sun to the planet Jupiter, 
and from Jupiter back to the earth again, and yet have 
110,000,000 miles to spare — enough to cable the earth to the 
moon more than four hundred and sixty-two times. 

Or, the hairs from the heads of the present inhabitants of 
the globe would, if placed end to end, stretch out a line such 
a vast distance into space that if a cannon were fired from 
one end of the line when Adam was created, the sound thereof, 
although traveling at the rate of 1,120 feet each second of 
time, both night and day, would not yet have near reached its 
journey's end; many generations would yet pass away before 
its mission could be accomplished. 

RAPIDITY OF HAIR GROWTH. 

The rapidity with which hair grows is subject to great varia- 
tions, even among individuals of the same race; it is influ- 
enced greatly by the health of the individual, his occupation, 



56 WEIGHT OF HAIR. 

and his age. In the young and middle-aged the growth is 
the most rapid; and the same condition is seen in those living an 
active, out-door life in preference to an indoor or sedative one. 
The growth of the beard is undoubtedly accelerated by fre- 
quent shaving; and, in a minor degree, the cutting of the head- 
hair is also conducive to its more rapid growth. A thorough 
stimulation of the scalp, by rapid brushing each morning and 
evening, is also conducive to the longevity of the hair, and 
consequently to its more lengthy growth. Other hygienic 
influences are equally influential. 

From several careful computations made by Withof, it is 
found that when a man of average health, and hirsute tendency, 
has reached his eightieth year, he has, if he has been pretty 
closely shaven, or has kept his beard pretty closely trimmed, 
cut off some thirty feet of this hirsute material; its average 
growth being some six and one-half inches annually. 

The growth of the head-hair is of about equal rapidity, six 
inches being its average growth per year, if kept pretty closely 
trimmed. Of course when allowed to remain long its growth 
in length is retarded, since much or most of the formative 
pabulum is exhausted in sustaining the life of the hair already 
without the follicle. 

Between the ages of seventeen and twenty-four years it is at 
its maximum of yearly growth; it grows faster, too, in summer- 
time than in winter; faster by day than by night, and faster 
in the warm climates than in the cold. As a rule, the longest 
hirsute growth is seen in the torrid zone; and of course, for 
physiological reasons, it is hair of the largest diameter. 

WEIGHT OF HAIR. 

The weight of hair stands, usually, in direct ratio to its fine- 
ness; that is, the finer the hair the heavier it will weigh. The 



USES OF THE HAIR. 57 

French, as a rule, have coarse, dark hair, and the usual weight 
cut from their heads, for manufacturing purposes, is about five 
ounces. The Italian hair-growers usually furnish six ounces, 
whilst the flaxen-haired Teutonic girls furnish fleeces that weigh 
ten or twelve ounces. These are the average weights; many 
fine specimens will weigh considerably more than this, so much 
so that some authorities have given from eleven to twelve 
ounces as the usual weight; this, I think, is too high an esti- 
mate; very few American heads, anyway, would yield such a 
crop. 

The heaviest weight of hair on record is that found in the 
Bible accredited to Absalom. The records say that he " polled " 
or cut his hair, yearly, and the growth was so luxuriant that 
each "polling " weighed some six and one-sixth pounds avoir- 
dupois. 

" And when he polled his head, for it was at every year's end 
that he polled it (because the hair was heavy on him, therefore 
he polled it), he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred 
shekels after the king's weight." — 2 Sam'l, xiv, 26. (1024 
B. C.) 

As the old saying is, " it is but a step from the sublime to 
the ridiculous;" with this as a plea I offer the following, as 
showing to what base uses we may be put. A barber living 
on Grub street, announced himself by a sign illustrating Absa- 
lom hanging by his hair in an oak; beneath it was this doggerel: 

"O! Absalom, my son, my son, 

If thou had'st worn a periwig thou would'st not been undone."' 

USES OF THE HAIR. 

The ancient Egyptians made it emblematical by making it 
the badge of youth. The young princes used to wear a certain 



58 USES OF THE HAIR. 

styled lock back of their ears, which finally got to be the emblem 
of juvenescence itself. (Harpocrates.) 

Besides as a means for protecting the head from extremes of 
heat and cold, or sadden changes of temperature, it is also 
anti-frictional in its action. The portions of the body which 
are subject to constant irritation from extraneous bodies, as 
notably the wrists, where the cuffs are continually sliding back 
and forth over them, will be found to have the hairs worn 
closely off, they having furnished, in no little degree, protection 
to the sensitive skin beneath. 

In animals we see the uses much more plainly marked; those 
of the northern climes having the protection of a thick coating 
of fur. The northern wild boar is thus protected, besides hav- 
ing the bristles common to the genus in the south. The ancient 
elephant, and the rhinoceros, of the north, were similarly pro- 
tected. Yet in the south, the representatives of these same 
species bear but coarse bristles, and many have no hair at all. 
The bottoms of the feet of camels and dromedaries are also 
protected by hair from the irritation of the hot sands of the 
desert. Ruminants of the larger species, who practice pro- 
longed grazing, have their coats of hair well oiled, so as to 
protect themselves against storms of sleet, snow and rain, as 
well as to keep their bodies warm. So excessive is this secre- 
tion in some of the antelopes that it has led to the giving of 
them specific names from this fact alone. All this class of 
animals (ruminants) shed their hair annually; our sheep would 
if not already relieved by shearing. Our horses shed their 
coats also; but their tails and manes are exceptions to this 
rule, being retained indefinitely. 

Hair is also made use of in surgery for stitching up wounds, 
and for the drainage of wounds, sinuses or deep abscesses. 
This last is done bv inserting a tuft of hair down to the 



INDESTRUCTIBILITY OF THE HAIR. 59 

bottom of the abscess, or drawing one through the sinus; it 
furnishes a means for capillary attraction, and so the easy 
discharge of pus. 

Our masons could not plaster our houses, were it not for the 
hair to help hold it together. Our shoemakers would be 
equally at a loss if the hog's hair bristles were taken from them. 

Hair also furnishes us with over one-half of all our clothing: 
this is seen in all of our woolen goods, felting, mohair and 
camel's hair goods; our silk is also very nearly akin to hair, it 
being the filamentous covering that the silkworm has spun for 
self-entombment. 

INDESTRUCTIBILITY OF HAIR AND ITS POST-MORTEM GROWTH. 

Hair is one of the least destructible parts of our body. In 
the grave it is the last of all the tissues to yield to decay. 
From the ancient catacombs it is taken in a state of excellent 
preservation. The cranial coverings that once bedecked the 
citizens of ancient Thebes, have survived the mouldering influ- 
ences of the tomb, unaided by embalming, some four thousand 
years. Hair is as lasting as the Karnack pyramids and the Sphinx 
itself; aye, more lasting, for these are now crumbling through 
their weight of years, when some of the wigs of human hair, 
exposed to the mould and moisture of their entombed apart- 
ments for these thousands of years, are even less attacked with 
decay than the funereal monuments themselves. Flesh and 
bones pass away before the disintegration of hair commences. 
Many even suppose that it derives elements of growth from 
the decaying elements about it, but this is not to be credited. 

Its growth after death is more a horrid fiction than anything 
else. It is entirely at variance with scientific and physiological 
facts and principles. I am well aware that many instances are 
quoted, by those that delight in the marvelous, of such growths. 






60 POST-MORTEM GROWTH OF THE HAIR. 

But hair-growth is just as much a living physiological process 
as the beating of the heart; both depend upon circulating blood 
for their food, and when this is denied them, both cease to live. 
Even the heart receives no life from the blood it propels 
throughout the system, except it first force it into the arteries 
that feed its muscular substance; it draws no nourishment from 
the mass of blood that surges through its ventricles every 
twenty-four hours; it would cease to beat instantly if left to 
this alone for its life. So, too, the hair; concentrate all the 
blood in the system at its roots, and it will get no nourishment 
unless the blood first traverses the minute capillaries that go 
to feed its papillae, which furnish life and substance to the cells 
ceaselessly at work therein, building up the hair-shaft cell on 
cell. 

I admit an apparent growth of hair after death; but there is 
a vast difference between this growth and a genuine one. The 
apparent growth is made from just the opposite conditions that 
would favor an actual one; for the "apparent" is seen only on 
the shrinking up of the skin tissues, squeezing the blood and 
nourishment out of them, thus allowing, through the contraction 
of the skin, a more projected appearance of the hair-cylinder, 
which, to an unpracticed eye, would simulate real elongation. 
I have had anatomical specimens in my possession for months, 
and only this " apparent " growth, through shrinkage of tissue, 
of either eyebrows, hair or beard could be detected. I have 
seen, though, what I took to be a slight whitening of the locks, 
in an aged specimen, due probably to atmospheric influences 
entirely. But as to the absolute growth of hair after death, I 
believe it to be the wildest vagary. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE COLOR OF THE HAIR. 

" Faith, his hair is of a good and excellent color." — Shakspeare. 

In a former chapter, page 30, I spoke of the fibrous portion 
of the shaft as being the seat of its coloration, to which page 
I refer you for an account of the manner of the distribution 
of the coloring pigment-cells and granules. 

Mr. H. C. Sorby has succeeded in extracting the coloring 
matter of human hair, and found that there are three coloring 
pigments, yellow, red and black, and that all the shades are 
produced by the mixture of these three primary colors. 

In the pure golden, yellow hair there is only the yellow pig- 
ment; in red hair the red pigment is mixed with more or less 
yellow, producing the various shades of red and orange; in 
dark hair the black is always mixed with yellow and red, but 
the latter are overpowered by the black; and it seems that even 
the blackest hair, such as that of the Negro, contains as much 
red pigment as the very reddest hair. He concludes from this, 
that if in the Negro the black pigment had not been developed, 
the hair of all Negroes would be as fiery a red as the reddest 
hair of an Englishman. He found that dilute sulphuric acid 
proved to be the best solvent. 

CLASSIFICATION OF RACES BY THE HAIR. 

Scientifically, hair has received these two general divisions: 
Ulotrichi, or the races with crisp, woolly hair, and of dark 

color. In this division are placed the Negroes, Bushmen, etc. 

The other main division is the 

Leiotrichi, or races of smooth hair, as the Anglo-Saxon, 

Germanic and kindred races. 



62 CLASSIFICATION OF RACES BY THE HAIR. 

These two divisions have also been subdivided into the fol- 
lowing five minor classes: 

1. Australoid, being the races found principally in Australia. 

2. Negroid, best represented by the African Negro tribes. 

3. Mongoloid, represented by the Chinese races. 

4. Xanthrochroid, to which belong the Sclavonic, Teutonic 
and Scandinavian races. 

5. Melanochroid, represented by the Iberians and the black 
Celtic races. 

The Aitstraloid group, as reported by Huxley, are men of 
dark complexions, ranging to chocolate, with smooth, soft and 
wavy hair, neither crisp nor lank, nor yet straight. Their 
skull is long; that is, its breadth is but -^ of its length; the 
stature varies considerably. The best representatives of this 
group are the natives of Australia. Wavy, silken hair, dark 
complexion and eyes, are then, with a long skull, their promi- 
nent characteristics. 

The .Negroid group is made up of men with long skulls, 
differing considerably from the Australoid in their general 
shape; with black e^es and hair, the hair being crisp and woolly, 
and the skin varying in dark shades to black. 

The Mongoloid group are men of a yellowish to olive tint, 
that have black eyes, and long, straight, black hair. The 
skulls of this group differ from those of the two just described, 
in that they are frequently of the broad type, although there 
is a range of great variation. 

The Xanthrochroid group embraces the blonde races with 
which we are all so familiar, and which is represented by heads 
ranging from the broad-skulled German to the long-skulled 
Scandinavian. The skin is fair and delicate, and the hair of a 
yellowish hue, the eyes being blue. In stature they are usually 
tall, though they may vary in this considerably. 



CLASSIFICATION OF RACES BY THE HAIR. 63 

The Melanochroid group embraces, chiefly, the Spanish, 
French and Portuguese races. They have broad skulls, dark 
eyes and olive complexions, and long, black, wavy hair. 

The American Indians would constitute a type by them- 
selves, were you to take the general shape of the head alone into 
consideration; but, hirsutically, they fall properly under the 
Mongoloid type, as their hair is black, long, lank and straight. 
The high cheek bones, thus making a broad face, and copper- 
colored skin, are entirely unlike the other groups, hence would 
make a new and distinct group of them if classified from these 
features. 

It may be well in this connection to refer to the classification 
of the races of men as usually given by our anthropologists: 

First Ave have the Caucasian race, known by its fair skin; 
hair of varied color, but fine, long and curling, and beard 
abundant. 

Second, the Mongolian race, with sallow or olive-colored 
skin; hair long and straight and of dark color, whilst the beard 
is scanty, or there is none at all. 

Third, the Ethiopian race, with dark skin and hair crisp and 
curly, with little or no beard. 

Fourth, the Malay race, with reddish-brown skin, and hair 
black, coarse and lank. 

Fifth, the American race, with copper- colored skin; hair 
black, long and lank, and little or no beard. 

Sixth, the Papuan race, with purplish-hued skin; hair wiry, 
coarse and frizzled, and with little or no beard. 

From this it can be fairly formulated that the light-skinned 
races only have long curly hair, and grow a beard. And if a 
line were to be drawn to roughly separate the light from the 
dark races, in the old world, you would only have to extend a 
line from the north of Ireland through to the Himalaya 



64 THE TEMPERAMENTS. 

Mountains, and those north of that line would represent the 
light-colored races, whilst on the south of this would be the 
dark-haired races. This same line would also pretty generally 
separate the light-haired and bearded races from the dark- 
haired and beardless races. Some have been wont to infer 
from this that climate has had everything to do with this differ- 
ence of color, but this is not so; for when you get to the most 
northern latitudes, as in the east of the upper part of Norway, 
in Lapland, you meet with the dark-skinned Laplanders. The 
same dark-hued race is also met with in Greenland. 

THE TEMPERAMENTS. 

Aristotle (B. C. 384-322) referring to the different tempera- 
ments met with in the two races, of light and dark hair, 
remarked: "The people of the North are generally manly, 
and have strong hair; whereas those of the West are more 
timid, and have more flexible hair." Also that "weak hair 
betokens fear, whilst strong hair denotes courage," in which 
view he will be upholden by any careful observer of to-day. 

Claudius Galenus, or Galen, as he is commonly called, who 
was born at Pergamus, a city of Asia Minor, A. D. 132, divided 
mankind into four general temperaments, and which were 
transcribed by Paulus iEgineta (who lived in the seventh cen- 
tury of our era) and have so come down to us. These temper- 
aments are as follows, as quite freely rendered from the origi- 
nal Greek : 

I. "People of hot and moist temperament have soft, fleshy 
and quite hairy bodies; their hair is straight and yellowish, but 
does not soon fall out. They cannot endure vigils; are prompt 
to action and anger, though easily appeased." It will be 
noticed that this corresponds to our later division of tempera- 
ments known as "Sanguine." 



HYGIENE AND SOCIOLOGY OF HAIR COLORATION. 65 

II. "Those of a cold and moist temperament have narrow 
chests, hairless bodies, soft, white skins, feeble muscles, ill- 
formed joints and invisible veins. Their hair is light-colored, 
especially in youth, and they do not become bald [early?]. 
The more morbid the temperament, the lighter the hair." 
This, it will be noticed, corresponds with our "Phlegmatic" 
temperament of to-day. 

III. " The hot and dry are very shaggy; the hair of the head 
being very black, thick, strong and curly; it grows rapidly, 
though they early become bald. Their veins and arteries are 
large and the pulse strong; the body is firm, muscular and lean, 
and the skin is hard and dark. Their excretions are small, and 
they require but little sleep. They are active, passionate and 
implacable." This might be properly termed the modern 
" Choleric " temperament, to which our generals, and the like, 
might be referred. 

IV. "Those with the cold and dry temperament have a white 
skin, a slender body, fine muscles, though somewhat fat. Their 
joints are small, and they have but little hair, and this is 
tawny." In our times this class should have black hair instead 
of "tawny," and would be known as the "Nervous" tempera- 
ment. 

HYGIENE AND SOCIOLOGY OF HAIR COLORATION. 

Hymeneally there is an item of great interest connected with 
hair coloration, for we find that a greater proportion of light- 
haired women live and die unmarried, and without offspring, 
than the dark-haired. Statistics seem to show that our "beau- 
tiful blondes," as they are familiarly called, although much is 
talked about them, stand in the actual matrimonial market three 
chances of failure to complete a life-contract, to two chances of 
failure on the part of their darker-haired sisters. Just what 
sort of a philosophy induces the sterner sex to talk so much to 



66 HYGIENE AND SOCIOLOGY OF HAIR COLORATION. 

and of blondes, and yet, when it comes to the actual business 
phase of life, should propose to the brunettes, is entirely beyond 
my comprehension. Dr. Beddoe, who has recognized this 
peculiarity, has seen fit to call this sort of flirtation " conjugal 
selection." The result of this "conjugal selection" is, that 
fair-haired ladies are getting rarer than they were in years gone 
by. Mrs. Somerville also noticed this some years ago, and 
remarked upon it in her "Physical Geography.'* 1 Now, 
whether the cause of all this can be reduced to Darwin's theo- 
rem — the survival of the fittest — I cannot say; though true it 
is that light-haired people usually have weaker constitutions 
than the darker-haired. Yet, in the light of the facts in the 
case, so far as now known, I think I am justified in warning 
our flaxen and golden-haired ladies of the inevitable doom that 
must await their species in the future. 

In a careful examination kept of seven hundred and thirty- 
seven women, applying at the Royal Infirmary, thirty-two per 
cent of the fair-haired were single; whilst but twenty-two per 
cent of the dark-brown haired, and only eighteen per cent of 
the black-haired remained unmarried. Taking the seven hun- 
dred and thirty-seven, and dividing them into two general 
classes, the light and the dark-haired, we find that out of three 
hundred and sixty-seven fair-haired women, thirty-two per cent 
were single, whilst out of the three hundred and sixty-nine 
dark-haired women, but twenty-one and five-tenths per cent 
were similarly conditioned. 

It is a notorious fact of history, also, that the blondes are 
disappearing from the Caucasian race. In Caesar's time the 
Britons, Celts, Saxons, Gauls and Germans, were blue-eyed 
and had either red or flaxen (yellow) hair. At the present 
time the Celts have become a dark-haired race, and among the 
Anglo-Saxons a darker type of hair and much darker eyes is 



HYGIENE AND SOCIOLOGY OF HAIR COLORATION. 67 

the rule. From statistics kept of 1,410 individuals it was 
found that 30 were red haired, 108 fair haired, 338 light brown 
haired, 807 dark brown haired, and 67 were black haired; thus 
showing conclusively the predominance of dark hair among a 
race (the English) that sprang from a light-haired one. 

I find also some quite interesting statistics in the hygienic 
department of sociology ; for from carefully kept records I 
deduce the following: 

1. Black-haired people are most prone to consumption; the 
brown-haired the least so. Another author has added cancer 
and cataract to the evils in the black-haired list. 

2. To the brown-haired individuals is ascribed acute rheuma- 
tism, heart disease and eczema (popularly known as "salt 
rheum.") 

3. To the red-haired individuals belong more especially pleu- 
risy, pneumonia, ague and neuralgias. 

4. Individuals with blonde, or light-colored hair, are most 
subject to some one of the skin diseases. 

In matter of disjiositions we find that, as a rule, those having 
blonde or auburn hair, are tender-hearted, hence are apt to be 
imposed upon by those who plead poverty or physical distress. 
They are usually representatives of delicacy and refinement, 
and are classed among those of lymphatic temperament. 

Red-haired people are firm in their convictions, and are great 
lovers of their mother country, people and church; notably so 
are the Scotch. Their morals are of the sturdy, Puritanic 
type. Such people are classed as of sanguine temperament. 
When the hair is coarse and harsh, brutality and sensuousness 
marks the character of the possessor. 

Black-haired individuals are positive, powerful characters, 
and hence are either very good or else are very bad; there 
seems to be no mid-way ground with them. The coarser and 



68 THE HAIR OF THE PRESIDENTS. 

straighter the hair, the more noticeable is the characteristic of 
revenge, if the passions have not been educated to be held in 
check by moral suasion and the force of the will. You see 
this disposition markedly in the Indian and Malay. They 
represent the bilious temperament. 

The midway tint between the dark and the light, as the 
brown-haired individuals, have combined in themselves the 
strength, in a great measure, of the black-haired, and the 
exquisite sensibilities of the light-haired. From this class come 
our philanthropists (but not our generals, as a rule), our paint- 
ers, musicians and authors; those that unite the tender feeling 
and sympathy of the woman with the stronger will-force of the 
man. Hence our Homer, Virgil, Raphael, Titian, Handel, 
Mozart, Tasso, Chaucer, Burns, Keats, Longfellow, Lowell, 
Whittier, and a host of others. 

The darker-haired races are usually people of the torrid 
portions of the temperate zones, and the torrid zone itself; 
whilst the lighter-haired races belong to the cooler countries of 
the temperate portions of the continents. Taking the world, 
all in all, it is peopled mostly by the dark-haired races. 

THE HAIR OF THE PRESIDENTS. 

There is preserved in Washington, in the Patent Office, 
among other curiosities, specimens of hair of each Presidential 
head down to Franklin Pierce's time. The locks are kept in a 
neat frame, covered with glass, and properly labeled. 

The hair of Washington is nearly a pure white, fine and 
smooth in its appearance. 

That of John Adams is nearly the same in color, though per- 
haps a little coarser. 

The hair of Jefferson is of a different character, being a 
mixture of white and auburn, or a sanely brown, and rather 



THE HAIR OF THE PRESIDENTS. 69 

coarse. In his youth Mr. Jefferson's hair was remarkable for 
its bright color. 

The hair of Madison is coarse and of a mixed white and 
dark. 

The hair of Monroe is a handsome dark auburn, smooth and 
free from any mixture. He is the only ex-President, excepting 
Pierce, whose hair has undergone no change in color. 

The hair of John Quincy Adams is somewhat peculiar, being 
coarse and of a yellowish gray in color. 

The hair of General Jackson is almost a perfect white, but 
coarse in its character, as might be supposed by those who have 
examined the portraits of the old hero. 

The hair of Van Buren is white and smooth in appearance. 

The hair of General Harrison is a line white, with a slight 
mixture of black. 

The hair of John Tyler is a mixture of white and brown. 

The hair of James K. Polk is almost a pure white. 

The hair of General Taylor is white, with a slight mixture 
of brown. 

The hair of Millard Fillmore is, on the other hand, brown 
with a slight mixture of white. 

The hair of Franklin Pierce is a dark brown, of which he 
had a plentiful crop. 

It is somewhat remarkable, however, that since Pierce's time 
no one has thought of preserving the hair of his successors. 
There are vacancies in the case; and there is no hair either of 
Buchanan, Lincoln, Johnson or Grant for the inspection of 
futurity. 

Grant's hair is, however, of a dark brown, and his whiskers 
were inclined to be sandy at the aural portion. 

Lincoln's hair and beard were quite black, though they had 
become considerably grayed before his death. 



70 SINGULARLY COLORED HAIR. 

Hayes' hair was, in his youth, a brown with a slight reddish 
tinge. It is now quite tinged with gray. His beard is also 
quite gray. 

PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF THE SAVIOUR. 

St. Clement, of Alexandria, in writing of the Saviour, thus 
says: "Jesus had no beauty of face; his person offered no 
physical attractions; he only possessed beauty of soul, which 
is the true beauty." St. Irenseus, a disciple of St. Polycarp, 
who was a disciple of St. John, wrote that his master had 
often heard the beloved disciple say that the hair of Jesus had 
already turned white when he began his mission. All pictures 
of him represent him with long, curling locks, that are charac- 
teristic of auburn-hued hair, and with a long, curling beard. 
Such hair belongs rightly to the temperament of one whose 
life would be marked by a keeping of the moral and religious 
precepts and doctrines which the Saviour taught and practiced. 

SINGULARLY COLORED HAIR. 

In the chapter upon " Trichonosis Decolor " this subject has 
been quite fully considered, as sometimes it is a symptom of a 
disordered or diseased system. Several cases are there recorded 
of banded, green, blue and white and woolly hair, to which the 
reader is now referred. 

The Cape mole has a very singularly constructed hair, in 
that it is iridescent, the only instance I know of of such a con- 
dition of the hair in either man or animals. So marked is this 
iridescency that it has furnished it with its generic name, chry- 
sochlorls. Humming birds also have this quality present in 
the feathers upon their neck and breasts, and so do a few of 
the Polynesian birds. In the lower orders of animal life, as 
the fishes, crustaceous iridescent-coatings are common. 



CHAPTER VII. 



HAIR m SINGULAR PLACES. 
In animals we sometimes get a singular placement of the 
hair-follicles, as notably that of the instance, recorded on page 
13, of the tuft of hair springing from the front of a calf's eye- 
ball. 

Then, in the foetal whale, we find a growth upon the upper 
lip that some of our aspiring young men, whose moustaches 
resemble markedly Paul's definition of faith — " the substance 
of things hoped for, but the evidence of things not seen " — 
might be pardoned for coveting. Yet, when that foetal, 
j^ moustached, aquatic 

mammal reaches adult 
life, the hair evidently 
seems to have, as the 
boys say, "struck in;" 
for you find it then 
only in the animal's 
mouth, hanging down 
from around the upper 
jaw, and filling its im- 
mense gullet; it thus 
acts as a strainer to 
catch and entangle the 
small crustaceous fish 
(about the size of an 
ordinary house-fly) on which the monster feeds. In the whale's 
upper jaw recesses are cut, so that, when the mouth is closed, 




Fig. 20. 



72 HAIR IN SINGULAR PLACES. 

the hair is folded away into these pockets out of harm's way. 
See Fig. 20, A being the upper jaw, or crown bone, and B, the 
lower jaw. The cut shows the baleen strips as they are when 
the mouth is open for feeding purposes. 

These hairs spring from the sides of the strip of baleen, 
or whale-bone, as our ladies would term it, for it is this sub- 
stance which they use to stiffen the lining of their dresses 
and corsets, and is not bone at all, although so-called. It is 
simply a mass of agglutinated hair, glued into thin laminae by 
the drying of the peculiar viscid secretion furnished by the 
mouth of the Greenland whale. There are 289 of these hair- 
formed blades upon the right side of the jaw, and 286 on the 
left. At the center of the jaw, in front, the blades are placed 
f of an inch apart; but backward, towards the throat, the 
space is diminished to J of an inch. The free hair fringing 
these blades varies from an inch, to twenty inches in length, 
being longest at the point of each blade, and shortest at the roof 
of the mouth ; the purpose of which is to make a perfect seive 
of the baleen strips by closing up the interspaces between 
them. The old and acute observer, Aristotle, was cognizant 
of this mechanism, and said, as quoted in the Latin edition of 
his works, Mysticetus etiam pilas in ore intus habet vice den- 
tium suis setis similes. " The whale has hairs, just like a pig's, 
in his mouth, in place of teeth." 

In the Rhinoceros we find that 
the head and tail are the only por- 
tions of the body favored Avith 
hirsutic growth; on the latter it 
is little else than a clump of stiff 
bristles just at its tip; whilst on 
the head it is wholly confined to 
the nose, here being seen, as agglutinated together, to form 




HAIR IN SINGULAR PLACES. 73 

either one or two horns, according to the species. In this 
respect the horns of the rhinoceros resemble the baleen of the 
whale, as both are built up by the cementation of an immense 
number of hairs. 

In the case of the elephant a very similar condition of affairs 
will be noted, as regards the paucity of hair upon his body; a few 
bristles only are found on the trunk, ears, back and the tip of the 
tail. Its early progenitor, as now found imbedded in the frozen 
marshes of Siberia, was entirely covered with hair. Dr. Laman, 
a noted traveler, and who spent some four years in the wilds of 
Siberia and Chinese Tartary, tells me that he has seen the wool 
on such a carcass that would measure six or eight inches in 
length; that it was firmly matted together, or capable of being 
easily so matted, and was of a brownish color; that it would 
furnish a coat almost impenetrable to cold. 

The elephant's tusks, however, are entirely different from the 
horns of the rhinoceros, as they are more like the hugh tusks, 
or teeth, seen in such animals as the sus scrofa (wild boar), in 
that they have a bony socket: whereas, the rhinoceros' horn, as 
regards its roots, resembles beauty, in that it is but skin deep; 
for, in flaying the animal, the horns are removed with the skin. 
In the human being we find, frequently, this rhinoceros-like 
tendency to the growth of a tuft of upwardly-projecting, 
bristly hairs from the tip of the nose. This may be a relict of 
our close relationship to our Darwinian ancestry; but be that 
as it may, one of my professional friends, a surgeon, is so 
peculiarly marked that way, that I rarely look at him without 
thinking of that hairy-horned individual which ploughs the 
African jungle, and delights in a goring operation upon any 
playful elephant that may chance to offend his majesty. 

The hippopotamus is also noted as having hair only at the 
tip of the tail. 



74 HAIR IN SINGULAR PLACES. 

A hairy water-tortoise from China. This terrapin, or water 
tortoise, has hairs growing out from its back. It will snap at 
and devour little bits of meat, fish, shrimps, etc. As the little 
animal swims the fibers hang away from him so as to give him 
the appearance of an animated bunch of weeds. His face is 
very intelligent. 

I do not know whether the growth upon this terrapin's back 
has been produced artificially or naturally. It is simply a 
water-grass, something like the weedy material growing on 
decaying wood-work and lock-gates of rivers. It is possible 
that the ingenious Chinese may have some way of doctoring 
up the living specimens of terrapins, of which I understand 
considerable numbers exist in the ditches and marshes of China. 

The tortoise being a sacred emblem in China, the Chinese 
make pets of the hairy tortoise, which they keep in basins of 
water during the summer months, and bury in sand during 
winter. A small lake in the province of Kiang-su is famous 
for these so-called hairy tortoises, and many persons earn a 
livelihood by the sale of these curious little pets, which are 
about two inches long. 

In the human being we know that during the last three or 
four months of intra-uterine life the whole body is covered 
with a quite thick, and long crop of hair, or wool — lanugo, as 
it is scientifically termed; and when children are born, before 
the full time of gestation, their bodies being so covered are, 
for a time, a source of annoyance to the mother, who fears this 
will be a permanent condition of affairs. This is not so, how- 
ever, for in a short time the lanugo disappears, and the second- 
ary, or extra-uterine, growth of hair of lighter color takes its 
place on those parts where we are accustomed to see it. In 
some instances there is an exception to this rule, and the hair 
remains growing from the whole surface of the child. These 




WHY HAIR GROWS IN TUMORS. 75 

cases are to be regarded as monstrosities; some of the more 
noted of which are given in the chapter upon " Polytrichia." 

This lanugo is looked upon, by the 
Darwinists, as one of the important 
proofs of man's close relationship to 
the anthropoid apes, and animals even 
lower, since it so closely resembles the 
hirsute condition of these species. 
Figure 22 is a good picture of the nose- 
ape (Semnopithecus nasicus) of Borneo, 
showing quite a similarity, in looks, 
with characters we frequently meet 
upon the streets; certainly quite as intelligent-looking as are 
occasionally seen. 

What is a singular fact, is that this intra-uterine hair-growth, 
lanugo, is of dark color, although the parents may be of the 
blonde type of feature and hair; there seems to be no difference 
in the foetal coloration whether the parents are light or dark- 
haired. 

Something of the same coloring of the hair is seen in that 
found growing in ovarian tumors, as spoken of on page 13, 
" dermoid cysts," as they are properly called. 

The usual color of hair so found is that of a light brown or 
pale yellow tint; sometimes actually gray hair is seen, as the 
case reported by Axel. Sometimes long black hair has been 
found, and also red hair. Wool has also been found in dermoid 
cysts from sheep; feathers, from those in birds, and hair, from 
those in other animals. 

WHY HAIR GROWS IN TUMORS. 

At one time it was thought these growths were the result of 
blighted conception; but as they have been found in children 



76 WHY HAIR GROWS IN TUMORS. 

who had never menstruated, in many other parts of the body 
than the generative organs, and even in males, this theory must 
be abandoned. My opinion is that these hairy-growths may 
arise in one of these three ways: 

I. Sometimes as the result of a blighted conception or incom- 
plete fructification of the egg, the ovum not entering the 
uterus, bat lodging upon, or near the ovary, thus producing 
many of our dermo-ovarian and uterine tumors. 

In these tumors other substances than hair are frequently 
found. Thus I have seen bones, teeth, and cartilaginous sub- 
stances that were removed therefrom. Brain-matter, sweat 
and sebaceous glands have also been discovered in these cysts. 
Sometimes when these tumors are so situated that they will 
admit of being punctured and the contents removed (when the 
complete removal of the tumor has been, for some reason, 
made unjustifiable) it has been found that the hair and teeth 
will grow again, just the same as witnessed in the human 
being. Barnes says he has extracted tufts of hair, at intervals, 
from the same tumor, for several years. Meckel says this kind 
of teeth are subject to just the same laws of development 
and duration as mark the growth of normal teeth; the inti- 
mate attachment of their follicles, as well as the follicles of the 
hair, to the cyst-wall insures the reception of sufficient pabulum 
to keep up their growth and regeneration when shed. 

II. As the result of a double fructification, one ovum con- 
taining the other. This process gives us our double monstrosi- 
ties, as children or animals with supernumerary legs, arms, bodies 
or heads. A good case in point is that of Velpeau's, where a 
young man, aged twenty, was admitted to the hospital, of 
whose surgical ward he was in charge (Charite), who had 
quite a large tumor connected with one of his testicles, which 
had existed since birth. On operation, it was found that the 



WHY HAIR GROWS IN TUMORS. 



77 



tumor was imbedded in the substance of the testicle; it gave 
exit to several bones and parts of a foetus. The presence of 
hair Avas not recorded in this case, although it has been so 
noticed in this organ by other observers. 

III. As a result of the induplicature of the skin-sensory layer 
of the germinal membranes. This is one of the four primitive 
germ-layers that give us our epidermis, brain, spinal cord, ova- 
ries, breasts, oviducts and vagina; and when united with the 
skin-fibrous layer, gives us our cerebral and spinal nerves, the 
organs of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing; also our kid- 
neys and urinary ducts, testes, spermatic duct and penis. (The 
skin-fibrous layer has its origin from the skin-sensory.) 

This is not the place to go into the details of ontogeny; but 
if the organs above enumerated are held in remembrance, as 
being formed from identically the same germ layer, it will be 
easily seen how it is possible for one to be readily encysted, 
within the other, through an induplicature of the primitive 
membrane. This theory will be still more plausible when we 
remember that bones, teeth, hair, brain and muscle are formed 
from the same primitive layers, and that (so far as my observa- 
tion goes) these dermoid cysts are found only in some one of 
the organs above named; there originating from the skin-sen- 
sory and skin-fibrous germ-layers. Until the contrary shall be 
shown, I shall be inclined to refer most of these dermoid 
growths, except when occurring in the ovary, or contiguous 
thereto, to this third principle for their cause. 

An excellent illustration of this principle is the following 
interesting case, which occurred in New York city quite recently: 

A young man was afflicted with a tumor of the tongue, one 
of the dermoid variety that I have just been describing. It 
was one of those recurring hair-growth tumors; for as often as 
it was lanced a discharge of hair would take place only for the 



78 WHY HAIR GROWS IN TUMORS. 

cyst to refill again. Several hundreds had been discharged, 
being of all colors, white, red, brown and black. Their length 
was equally variable, being from one-half an inch to three 
inches; sometimes they would be straight, sometimes curled; 
then again quite a lock of them would come out together. It 
really seemed as if the body of his tongue was made up of 
hair. The opinions of the young man's attendants were, that 
it was congenital, and the result of some inflammatory process. 
To the former view, its being congenital, I unhesitatingly sub- 
scribe; i. e., that it was formed before birth; but as to the 
inflammatory part of the process, induced by some irritation, 
as they averred, I do not believe. The only cause at work was 
the slight infolding, and retention, of a small portion of the 
germ-membrane that ultimately produces hair, within the 
membrane that evolves the tongue; and hence the imprisoned 
hair-producing membrane, in the production of the hair within 
the tongue, was but performing its proper physiological func- 
tion, although under abnormal conditions. 

Perhaps I can make my meaning clearer by the use of the 
following diagram: In this, Figure 23, A represents the com- 
mencement of the in- 
duplicature of the 
skin -sensory germ- 
layer, represented by 
the dotted line s s, 
and its infoldment in 
the skin-fibrous germ- 
layer, s f. B, of the 
same figure, represents the completion of the process of the 
surrounding of the skin-sensory layer by the skin-fibrous layer; 
the letters s s and s f having the same reference as in the A 
diagram. The s f and s s layers in B, can also very properly 



J& 


„ 




££. 


S$ 


-JUT 


#JF 




jt 






JJ>... 






sWL- 


JT 


9 

B 




«^ 




Fig. 


23. 





FABLES. 79 

represent the tongue, in the case of the young man, and the 
dotted ring within the ring s f, the imprisoned hair growing 
within the follicle. Until this tumor is opened and the hair 
papillae lining the follicle destroyed, hair will be reproduced as 
often as it is taken away. 

Amatus Lusitanus mentions a case very similar to this one, 
though he omits to give the sex, where he had seen hair grow- 
ing from the tongue. 

A similar process of infolding of the germinal skin-sensory 
layer into the skin-fibrous germinal layer readily explains the 
formation of the tuft of hair upon the calf's eye-ball, as pre- 
viously noted; both are formed from the same primitive germ- 
layer, along with the teeth, tongue, bones, etc. 

In the mastoid cells, and from the tympanum of the ear, as 
well as in the bladder, brain and abscesses of other parts of the 
body, hair has been found to grow; and in all of these from 
the physiological cause just given. 

FABLES. 

The following cases should receive no weight from a scien- 
tific point of view, but I give them because once they were 
firmly believed in and respected as truth: 

The Messenian warrior, Aristomenes, who died 668 B. C, 
at Jabysus, a maritime city of Rhodes, was believed by Pliny 
and Valerius Maximus to have had his heart covered with 
hair. Such, at least, was the fable that had come down to 
them, and such they firmly believed and promulgated as being- 
true. 

Leonidas, the great Spartan, who fell at Thermopylae, 480 B. 
C, is credited, by Plutarch, with a similar hirsute condition of 
the heart, as found after his death. 



80 BEZOARS, OR HAIR BALLS. 

Hermogenes, of Tarsus, Coelius Rhodiginus averred, was also 
blessed with a heart that was covered with hair. 

Tyson claims to have found hair floating in the blood of a 
young lady, and Slonatius claims to have found the same in 
the blood of one of his female patients, and also in a Spaniard. 

Possibly an explanation of the condition of the heart ascribed 
to Leonidas and Aristomene^ can be given, if we look upon the 
phenomena as a result of pericarditis, — an inflammation of the 
sac surrounding the heart. In this disease, a fiber-forming 
exudation takes place, which, in more advanced and severe 
cases, forms a meshy net-work of organized fibrine-strings 
upon the walls of the heart and its pericardium. Possibly 
this is what the ancients took to be tufts of light-colored hair 
growing from the heart itself. 

BEZOARS, OR HAIR BALLS. 

Somewhat closely allied to the subject proper are the masses 
of hair found in the stomachs of the ox, and deer kind, known 
as Bezoars. I have seen them equal a diameter of three inches 
the long way and two inches the shorter, and some are reported 
as being six inches in diameter, that were found in a California 
cow. They are usually of this egg-shaped form, and resemble, 
outwardly, a smoothly-polished, dark-colored stone. As soon 
as taken in the hand the notice of absence of any appreciable 
weight dispels this illusion at once. On sawing them asunder 
they are found to be made up of an immense number of hairs, 
licked from off the animal's body, and which are held together 
by some gelatinous product; probably the result of the action of 
the stomachic juio.es upon the hair. By being continually rolled 
around, inside the stomach, the masses have assumed their 
ovoid form, with a finely polished surface. Oftentimes these 



BEZ0ARS, OR HAIR BALLS. 81 

masses kill the animals by getting wedged into one of the 
stomachic orifices. 

Cats also are troubled with the formation of these hair balls 
within their stomachs, and many die victims to their fondness 
of lapping each other's furry coats. 

Recently, from an alligator's stomach there was taken a hard, 
round mass, about the size of a base-ball, which was found, on 
section, to be made up of innumerable hog's hairs and bristles, 
thus testifying pointedly to the pork-loving taste possessed by 
that denizen of Red river. 

In this same connection might properly be related that unique 
case of Mr. Knowsley Thornton, as detailed in " The Patho- 
logical Transactions for 1876." This was a female who died 
with a very large abdominal tumor. On tapping the woman 
some eighty-six pints of fluid were evacuated, and with it a 
large number of little brown balls came out; these little balls 
proved to be made up of short red hairs, crystals of chlotester- 
ine, epithelial scales and fatty matter, matted and rolled firmly 
together. 

Then there is the interesting case, given by Mr. Carver, sur- 
geon of Enfield Highway, of a post-mortem held upon a 
woman, soon after delivery, where a large mass of hair was 
removed from her stomach, which proved to be a large chignon, 
weighing one-half a pound. The stomach contained not only 
the hair, but also a piece of blanket, Berlin wool, thread and 
string, which the demented woman had swallowed. These 
blocked up the intestinal, or pyloric, orifice of the stomach and 
so killed her. 

6 



s-\ 



CHAPTER VIII. 

HYGIENIC TREATMENT OF THE HAIR. 

" If a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him. 
But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her." — St. Paul. 

A fine head of hair, has, in all ages of the civilized world, 
been looked upon as an essential element of beauty. While 
it is not possible for every person to have an exuberant growth 
of head-hair, or of the beard, it is possible, with proper care and 
attention, for all to be the possessors of a respectable hirsutic 
covering. To secure this, in its greatest degree, the hair 
should receive proper attention, and care, from infancy up. 
Campbell, though a poet, recognized this fact, for he says in 
one of his poems: 

" To form a head of beauteous hair, 
Children claim our greatest care." 

" Cleanliness is next to Godliness," is an old aphorism, that 
might, to suit hirsutic hygiene, be changed so as to read Clean- 
liness insures a good head of hair. Many parents are loath to 
wash or cleanse their children's heads. I often see babes in 
arms, with a thick, scurvy crust upon the scalp, through the 
neglect of the parents to insure proper cleanliness of the child's 
head; this crust, being left on for a time, irritates the skin, 
and an eczematous eruption ensues, giving us our scalj-head, 
as it is popularly called. Under a proper head, see the chapter 
on Eczema, this subject will be remedially treated of. But this 
condition of affairs should not be allowed to take j)lace, and it 
would not, if proper attention were paid to the child's scalp. 
Washing the baby's head in lukewarm water, with Castile 



A PROPER BRUSH AND COMB. 83 

soap, twice or three times a week, or oftener if necessary, should 
be practiced from birth up; then a daily brushing of the scalp 
and hair should be made. For a very young infant the softest 
brushes only should be used; but as the child increases in age, 
two should be employed; a rather harsh one to be used first, 
to loosen the dirt, dried sebaceous material and epithelial scales, 
from the scalp, and brush it out; and then a soft, fine brush to 
polish the hair and make it lie smoothly upon the child's head. 
A fine comb should not be used on a child's head, and a coarse 
one would be of no special use except to part or lay the hair. 

A PROPER BRUSH AND COMB. 

In the purchase of a brush or comb, care should be exercised 
to see that a properly manufactured one was selected. It may 
seem like a little matter to attempt advice on so, seemingly, 
unimportant a subject; yet a great deal really depends upon 
it. "For want of a nail," you' know, "the shoe was lost; for 
want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the 
officer was overtaken and slain by the enemy." So, too, if you 
get a hair-brush, or comb, with slivery bristles or teeth, or 
teeth too sharp, the scalp will be scratched by the one and the 
hair will be broken with the use of the other. 

A proper brush is one made up of bristles, varying with the 
individual as regards the stiffness of them. The clusters 
should be evenly set into the back, equidistant from each other, 
so that the whole surface of the scalp, to which it is applied, 
will be touched by some one of the bristle-bunches. Then the 
clusters should be made up of bristles of slightly unequal 
length, so as to still farther favor the brush in covering every 
portion of the scalp; by this means every hair will be rubbed 
down on all sides, and there will be no streaks, or spots, of the 
scalp left untouched. 



84 CARE OF THE HAIR OF ADULTS. 

A proper comb is one whose teeth are even and regular, 
with points not sharp, but rounded. It should be held up to 
the light so as to detect any splitting, or roughening of the 
teeth on the sides; for if they are so roughened, injury to the 
hair, through breakage of the -shaft, will surely result. Should 
the teeth, through any cause become so split, as you value your 
hair, the offending members should be carefully cut from the 
comb; the slight space of the scalp that would thus remain 
untouched would be of no moment, as a comb is not an article 
that is used for cleansing purposes, as is the brush. 

A word might be properly said here on the wire brushes now 
in use. In action they are really a comb, nothing more, nothing 
less. As to their promulgated virtues of magnetic influence 
on the scalp and hair, why this is all nonsense. They are no 
better than a metal comb would be. However, as a stimulator 
of the scalp — that is by the friction of the teeth upon the scalp- 
surface a glow may be produced — if not used too harshly, they 
work very well, though are not equal to a good bristle-brush. 

THE HAIR OF ADULTS. 

In coming now to the consideration of the care of adult hair, 
we should remember also that cleanliness of the scalp is a cus- 
todian of the hair's longevity, as well as a condition favorable 
for its growth. Hair is not a collection of filamentous plants, 
or weeds, depending upon dirt for sustenance; but rather it is a 
physiological organ, one whose life is kept up by the same deli- 
cate life-giving material that furnishes food to the brain-cells 
for thought, and to the retina for sight. Some of the ancients, 
I know, had not over-cleanly notions on these matters; but 
personal discomfort, and loss of hair, was their sweet reward. 

Socrates, it is said, and also his followers, did not wash them- 
selves, because cleanliness led to vanity, they thought; and it 



CARE OF THE HAIR OF ADULTS. 85 

took so much of their valuable (?) time. If this was really 
the case, who can really blame Xanthippe, his wife, for being 
such a scold ? 

Archimedes, paradoxical as it may seem, invented pumps for 
watering the gardens of the Nile, and yet never used water, 
when he could well avoid it, for ablutionary purposes. 

Aristophanes, in one of his satires, tells us of the wealthy 
Athenian Patrocles, who never washed, for he says: "I have 
just come from the house of Patrocles — the man who has not 
washed himself since his birth." 

iElian avers that the Dardans washed themselves but three 
times in their whole lives. 

Now, there may be a very good apology offered for this 
apparent uncleanliness, through the non-use of water, on the 
part of these ancients, in that they substituted oils and pomades 
in place of the water. We all know that they were very fond 
of anointing their bodies, from head to foot, with some sweet- 
smelling pomade. This, if applied regularly, and properly 
removed, would keep the body clean. Perfumes undoubt- 
edly owe their origin to this. Pliny, who wrote in the first 
century after Christ, in speaking of them, so says; but adds 
that the Persians used them to counteract the odors of their 
persons, occasioned by the dirt upon them. This last I can 
hardly accept, as the ancient Persians, or Fire Worshipers, 
were most careful of their bodies. The Zend Avesta (Vendi- 
dad, Fargard xii, v. 6), their bible, plainly says: "Three times 
let them wash the body, three times let them wash the clothes." 
In another place (Yacna xxxviii, iv, 9) occurs these words: 
" The water well-flowing, well-washing, desirable for both 
worlds." And still in another place (Khorda Avesta, Patet 
Aderbat, xlv, 7), this passage: "If I have omitted the recita- 
tion of the Avesta, and have strewed about hair, nails and 



86 CARE OF THE HAIR OF ADULTS. 

toothpicks, or have not washed the hands, ;and all the rest 
which belongs to the category of dirt and corpses, — if I have 
thereby come among sinners, I repent of all of these sins, with 
thoughts, words and works, corporal and spiritual, earthly as 
heavenly, with these three words: Pardon, O Lord! I repent of 
sin." 

Then, too, the ancient Greeks were very careful to make 
themselves clean before their gods by many and careful ablu- 
tions. Homer's " Iliad " is replete with such instances. Hector 
would not even make a libation, to the god Jupiter, with 
unwashed hands. Ablutions of the whole body were required 
to properly purify the person, so as to permit him to attend a 
sacred sacrifice; in case of the deities of the lower world, 
sprinkling would suffice. In Euripides' "Ion," written 450, 
B. C, we read this: "Ye Delphians, ministers of Phoebus, go 
to the silvery waters of Castalia, and, having cleansed your- 
selves, then go to the temples." 

Indeed, the burden of the history of the priesthood, Biblical, 
Egyptian, and of the later eras, Incan, is that of bodily puri- 
fication. No better hygienic code can be framed for a nation 
under similar conditions, than that found embodied in the book 
written fifteen hundred years before Christ, and known as 
Leviticus. Probably the origin of the phrase '* Cleanliness is 
next to Godliness," is due to the fact of that close connection 
of personal purity, or cleanliness, that was exacted of the 
priesthood of all religions, before communion could be had 
with the God of Christendom, or the gods of heathen worship. 

Men, as a rule, are more negligent of their scalps than the 
opposite sex; probably because it is so little bother to them to 
arrange the hair, that they overlook the brushing and washing 
of the scalp almost entirely. Now, the adult scalp should be 
thoroughly washed as often as once a month, at the very least; 



CAEE OF THE HAIE OF ADULTS. 87 

a daily brushing will not suffice; brushing does not remove the 
oily particles from the scalp, except when dried down with 
dust and the scarf -scales of the skin. One of the best cleans- 
ing substances I know of, for either male or female to use, is 
the yolk of an egg. This should be well rubbed into the roots 
of the hair and upon the scalp; then the whole washed out 
with tepid water and Castile soap, rinsing with clear cold 
water. This done, it should be thoroughly dried by brisk rub- 
bing with towels, so as to get a roseate glow to the scalp, thus 
bringing a larger supply of blood to the hair papilla?; if found 
too dry, a little pomade could be applied. The cocoa-nut oil is 
probably the best of any. Among the proprietary preparations 
Burnett's Cocoaine is probably the best, as it is made up 
almost entirely of cocoa-nut oil. Purified beef's marrow could 
also be made use of, though vegetable oils are the best to use, 
as they are less apt, than the animal oils to become rancid. 

It is quite a popular belief that bear's oil or hedge-hog oil is 
the best application to make to the hair; but this is an 
erroneous idea. It has a smack of superstition about it. 
Bear's oil was undoubtedly selected because that animal has a 
very hairy coat; the hedge-hog, because his quill -hairs are of 
very strong and rank growth; the idea being that these pro- 
ductive qualities were given to the oils of these animals, and 
that man, in using, would imbibe the similar characteristics. 
The Malays eat the tiger for a similar reason — they think it 
makes them more ferocious. The Dyaks, of Borneo, will not 
eat deer flesh, lest it make them as timid as that animal; the 
women and children, however, are allowed to eat it. The 
Caribs will not eat pig or tortoise flesh, lest their eyes become 
as small as those seen in these animals. New Zealanders ate 
their most formidable enemies in order to make themselves 
more ferocious. The Dacotahs eat dog liver, that they may 



88 CARE OF THE HAIR OF ADULTS. 

become as sagacious and brave as that animal; and in olden 
times people, desiring children, used to eat frogs, because these 
animals were so prolific in eggs. The Esquimaux, for the 
same reason, tease for pieces of the shoe-sole of the European 
discoverers to hang about their persons, as this nation is so 
much more fertile than theirs. But these examples might be 
prolonged indefinitely. While bear's oil, if pure, is a very- 
wholesome and sweet oil, I do not deem it any better, or even 
as desirable as the oil of the cocoa-nut. 

A proper amount of pomade is not only harmless, but really 
useful to some scalps; especially those which furnish little or 
no oleaginous material to keep the hair supple and glossy. 
When used in excess, or to cover up dandruff or dirt, then it 
becomes harmful; when so used oils are apt to become rancid 
and so irritate the skin beneath. Usually, however, a single 
" oiling," after a washing of the scalp, is all that is needed; 
and the frequency of the washing must depend entirely upon 
the individual, as to whether his head sweats much, or the 
sebaceous glands pour out an extra amount of material; also 
upon what his occupation is, whether dusty or not, and whether 
it is summer or winter. 

As to cutting the hair. In men, taste and present style 
demand that it should be kept pretty closely clipped. In 
ladies all hair should have the ends trimmed off every month 
or so, in order to keep the growth even. If there is any ten- 
dency to the splitting of the hair, all hairs should be trimmed 
back to a point above the terminus of the cleft, as it is the 
tendency of the cleft to extend further up the shaft. If the 
hair becomes very uneven, it is best to have considerable 
trimmed from the ends, that the papillae may have more matter 
left to instill a vigorous growth to the existing shafts; other- 
wise the hair will be thrown off entirely. The frequency of 



CARE OF THE HAIR OF ADULTS. 89 

this trimming will depend upon the individual, hence no gen- 
eral rule can be made. 

There is no doubt that frequent trimming, or polling, as it 
was anciently called, of the hair, is conducive to its rapid 
growth. Absalom trimmed his once a year, and the fleece he 
shed was enormous, see page 57. The Egyptians cut theirs 
once or twice a week; indeed most of them, the males, kept 
pretty closely shorn. St. Paul wrote that Nature taught us 
that if a man had long hair it was to his shame; and the Church 
has fulminated this as a dogma for nearly eighteen hundred 
years. There is a canon, of the year 1096, still extant, which 
declared that those who wore long hair [referring to the males, 
probably] should be excluded from the Church, and should not 
be prayed for when dead. Serlo, a bishop in Normandy, on a 
Sabbath, turned barber, and cut the hair of his whole congre- 
gation. 

/Superstition has also had a controlling influence over hair- 
cutting, as it has had over almost everything else. The Fire 
Worshipers used to employ a priest to bury the hair shorn 
from their heads, lest the devils should get hold of it, and so 
curse the bearers. The Romans made it unlawful to pare the 
nails, or trim the hair, when on ship-board, unless it was during 
a storm. The penalty was forty stripes. " Love-locks " were 
often cast upon the turbulent waters to quell their fury. In 
Greenock, Scotland, the peasantry will not allow their clipped 
hair to be blown promiscuously about, lest the birds get 
hold of it, to build their nests with; it is all carefully picked 
up and burned. This superstition is even more ridiculous in 
its precepts when we consult some of the more uncivilized 
races. 



90 BRUSHING THE HAIR. 



BRUSHING THE HAIR. 



The hair and scalp should be brushed daily. In this proce- 
dure too much violence should be carefully guarded against. 
What is wanted, is to cleanse the scalp of dandruff and dust, 
by the use of the harsher brush; and then to smooth and polish 
the hair-shafts, and lay them evenly in their places, by the use 
of the softer one. This process is to be looked upon as a 
friction bath to the scalp. A cautious writer has observed 
that you cannot brush the scalp too much, nor the hair too 
little. The point is, the scalp should receive enough of the 
friction to induce a roseate glow to its surface. This insures 
a quicker circulation in the follicles about the papillae, and 
hence the growth is invigorated. This is the same action we 
expect from the use of tonic hair washes, viz., a stimulating 
effect upon the skin capillaries. A scalp that has grown a 
scanty covering for itself, may, frequently, by this means alone 
be made to produce an increased crop of hirsutic material, and 
so insure the possessor with a very fair head of hair. Fine 
toothed combs should be avoided, as a rule, as they peel off the 
scarf-skin, and leave a denuded surface below, which is apt to 
end in veritable disease, the mildest being pityriasis. (See 
chapter on this complaint.) The morning is probably as 
good a time as any to do this brushing, as neither the stomach 
nor brain are needing blood for their work, and so the circula- 
tory fluid can well be spared, for an hour or two, to the scalp. 
At night, just before retiring, is equally a favorable time, as 
the glow started up by the brush -friction, will, by the warmth 
of the pillow, be kept up for some considerable time. The end 
we seek, in building up a scanty hair-crop, is a proper amount 
of blood supply, through frictions and hair tonics, to the 
lethargic papillae; then the growth will, as a result, be duly 



TREATMENT OF LADIES' HAIR. 91 

accelerated, or in cases of certain kinds of baldness, be started 
anew. As a tonic, when such may seem to be indicated, the 
following will be found quite efficacious: 

I£. Tr. cinchonas rub. (tr. red cinchona bark), I j (1 fl. oz.) 

Tr. nucis vomicae (tr. mix vomica), 3 ij (2 drachms). 

Tr. cantharidis (tr. Spanish flies), 3 ss Q^j drachm). 

Aq. cologniensis (cologne water), 

Ol. cocois (oil cocoa nut), aa. q. s. ad 1 iv (of each enough to make 4 ounces). 
M. S. Apply once or twice a day to the scalp by means of a soft sponge. 

TREATMENT OF LADIES' HAIR. 

The general principles just enounced should govern the 
ladies in the care they bestow upon their hirsute treasures. As 
they have from forty to one hundred and twenty miles of these 
possessions, it naturally follows that the care devolving upon 
them, for keeping them in proper healthful order, is greater 
than that upon men. Still, wig-makers would ply less of a voca- 
tion if the few hygienic measures I have given, and those that 
follow, were heeded. As "fashion rules the world to a great 
degree," I cannot really expect that all of this advice will be 
very closely heeded. Yet, the hair should be brushed, rather 
than combed, daily; its "tangles" carefully unraveled, its split 
ends cut off, and when done up, it should be bound in as easy 
rolls and coils as possible: one reason for this is to allow as free 
ventilation as possible for the scalp; the other, that you may 
not break the hair or strain the roots, by tight tension upon 
them. Many a lady has lost a luxuriant head of hair by per- 
sisting in crimping it closely to the head, then binding it in 
coils, as tightly down as possible, thus severing the connection 
(partially it may be) of the hair-bulb from its living papilla at 
the bottom of the hair follicle, when death to the shaft is sure 
to result. 

Again, don't crimp or curl it to death. Hair was never 
intended to sleep in the worse than a straight jacket — crimping 



92 TREATMENT OP LADIES' HAIR. 

irons — nor to be broiled or steamed on a curling tongs that 
bears the temperature of a gridiron on which Biddy broils a 
steak. You must not blame your hair for rebelling at this 
cannibalistic treatment, in the way of becoming irremediably 
stiff, harsh, wiry, broken and stunted in its growth. 

Don't bleach it out of its healthy color (should blonde hair be 
the fashion when nature has made yours brown or black) by 
the use of strong caustics. You might as well try to bleach 
the healthy color from your lips, by unhygienic procedures, 
and then expect health to remain. The hair-bulb itself keeps 
pretty close watch on your manoeuvres, and if you get to carry- 
ing your proceedings too far, ends up by tossing it all off from 
your head — about the same line of treatment your stomach 
adopts for ridding itself of a late supper of green cucumbers, 
lobster-salad, fried oysters and fruit cake. After a time you 
may get your hair all back again, when so lost; but it never is 
so healthy and thrifty as before. 

It is strange, this never-ending feeling of dissatisfaction 
with nature that lurks in the human breast. From Astyages 
on the throne, down to our maids in the kitchen, we find this 
longing for a cranial covering differing from our own. Some 
want white, some black, some red, some blue, and some the 
hair of golden hue; and modern chemistry seems to have done 
its utmost in providing us with means to reach these artificial 
wants that society may demand. However, as the ruling 
passion with us, just now, is to paint the mile-stones black, 
which stand out like whitened ghosts to tell the many annual 
rounds we have walked with time, we will speak more particu- 
larly of this, and leave the Parsee, with his indigo bag, and the 
Briton, with his coloring fire, to themselves. (The Felatah 
ladies, in central Africa, also stain their hair carefully with 
indigo.) 



TREATMENT OF LADIES' HAIR. 93 

All the so-called hair dyes, which might more properly be 
termed paints, depend upon the chemical action of minerals for 
their blackening process. All of them, with hardly an excep- 
tion, contain lead, in some form, either the acetate, carbonate or 
oxide. This is usually in one liquid; then the other prepara- 
tion, to be applied afterwards, holds in solution some form of 
sulphur. By using the first, a deposit of lead is held upon the 
hair- shaft, by the imbricating scale-layer; by using the second, 
sulphur is washed upon the lead, a chemical change takes place, 
and you have the black sulphide of lead resulting. Some dyes 
do not use the second wash; these are either made up from 
argentic nitrate (lunar caustic), which turns black on exposure 
to light, or else the manufacturer relies upon the sulphur in the 
hairs, or the free sulphur in the air, in the form of gases, to 
produce the chemical change in the lead wash. In spite of 
this discouragement to the use of these dyes, as an answer to 
the crying " demand of the times," I have given, further on, 
a chapter upon the subject of hair-dyeing. I give it, though, 
under protest; it is decidedly unhygienical, although I have 
selected as harmless compounds as possible. 

Some of our belles who believe in painting, as it is popularly 
called, when the palette is a lotion bottle, the brush, a piece of 
flannel, the canvas, a face seen in the mirror, are sometimes 
exposed to laughable incidents, when the carbonate of lead has 
been given them wherewith to whiten themselves; for when so 
lotioned, or powdered, a few hours' exposure in a ball-room, or 
in the private parlor, results in a brunetting, if not positive 
negrofying of their faces; the sulphurous acid gas, given off 
from coal, or the sulphureted hydrogen in the air from various 
other causes, unites with the lead, and the black sulphide is the 
result, just as in the hair painting. In one instance I have 
heard of, a lady who went in a blonde but came out a mulatto, in 



94 



looks. This same sulphurous element is at work upon our 
houses, that are perennially painted white; the lead in the coat- 
ing being soon acted upon by the sulphur, the sulphide of lead 
is formed, and a dirty white color is the result. 

I have spoken of these dyes as being constitutionally, as well 
as hirsutically, harmful; they are so only in the fact that they 
are liable to be absorbed by the skin, and paralysis, neuralgias, 
and the like, are then liable to result. While there is not so 
much danger from hair-dyes as from the facial cosmetics — from 
the fact that the dyes are less often used — yet it is better to 
leave them all alone. In several of my lady patients I have 
seen what was, to me, unmistakable evidences of the pernicious 
effect of the use of these lead hair- washes; leastwise their 
neuralgias of the face and head were much benefited by leav- 
ing the dyeing alone. As to the facial cosmetics, many deaths 
can be clearly traced to them; notably the late G. L. Fox, our 
whilom Humpty Dumpty. It is much better on the w T hole, to 
leave all such sophistications — perhaps " society " avouM hardly 
sanction so strong a term as that — entirely alone. Nature is a 
pretty good judge of how things should be, or at least she 
ought to be, living as long as she has. 



CHAPTER IX. 

POLYTRICHIA. 

EXCESS OF HAIR GROWTH. 

Synonyms.— Hirsuties, Trichauxis, Trichosis, Hypertrichosis. 

Derivation. From, the two Greek words no\vZ meaning 
many and %f>i£, hair; the whole word meaning many hairs, or 
many-haired. 

Causes. It is not definitely known what is the specific cause 
of this general growth of hair upon the human subject. Some- 
times the complaint is plainly traceable to heredity; in other 
cases to nervous troubles; whilst in middle-aged females, who 
are afflicted with uterine or menstrual malfunctions, and who are 
unmarried, a growth is quite common upon the upper lip, and 
upon the cheeks; in other persons an inflammatory action of 
long standing, as a blister long kept open, is apt to occasion a 
local growth of hairs. Sometimes, after a severe fit of sick- 
ness, the hair of the head will take on an exuberant regrowth. 
Again, through some freak, the head hair will be of slow 
growth or positive loss, whilst other parts of the body will be 
producing it in abnormal abundance. 

Godfrey gives a case where a lady, thirty years of age, who 
had always enjoyed good health previously, was subjected to a 
severe fright; this checked the uterine function entirely. She 
became excessively nervous and irritable, and general hair- 
growth took place upon all parts of the body; it was dark 
brown in color, and the razor was in constant use to trim off 
the beard and mustachios. 



96 EXCESS OF HAIR GROWTH. 

Ollivier also details one, a young lady of remarkably fair 
skin, though black hair, who, after a fever, noticed her skin to 
become " goose pimply," the summit of each " pimple " being 
surmounted by a small black hair; these rapidly grew, and by 
the end of a month her whole body, and limbs, were covered 
with short black hair, about an inch in length. 

Wilson, in 1875, says he was consulted by a woman, thirty- 
three years of age, for loss of hair, and complete baldness at 
the summit of the head. She formerly had had a plenitude 
of hair. The hair-building materials were found to have been 
given to the body and face at the expense of the head. She 
had to shave daily, to keep down a thick beard, whiskers and 
moustache; whilst on her body the hairy coat, thick, harsh, and 
black, measured from one-half an inch to over two inches in 
length. A broad hairy belt covered her loins, and a thick 
fringe hung down from her buttocks, whilst from the whole 
length of her spine the profuse growth resembled a mane. 
With all this covering of hair she complained of constant 
chilliness. 

Rayer gives a case of a medical student, who was fond of 
bathing in salt water, and whose body was exposed to the sun, 
when drying himself, soon discovering upon himself numerous 
sallow spots from which hair was starting quite abundantly. 

Somewhat similar to this is Cattle's case, where a young lady, 
twenty-five years of age, who had for some years resided in 
South America, found that on the portions of the face and neck 
exposed to the sun there was a strong growth of light colored 
hair; some hairs measured an inch in length, and no such 
growth existed there prior to her trip to South America. Her 
complexion was "fair," and her head-hair was light brown in 
color. 

In some instances the hairs are greatly increased in length, 



EXCESS OF HAIR GROWTH. 97 

rather than that the growth covers the whole body; thus, those 
of the axilke or pubes may measure three or four feet in length. 
In other cases the excess of growth is confined to the head, or 
beard, or to both. Thus, in the case o£ Absalom, it is narrated 
that he polled yearly from his head some six pounds of hirsutic 
material. 

Again, paralysis of the muscles sometimes leads to an 
increased growth of hair. Thus, Paget reports a case of a 
child whose left arm and shoulder (paralyzed) were covered 
with a thick fringe of hair. Nayler had a case of partial 
paralysis of the leg, where the skin changed to a mottled color 
of brown, which grew long fine hair. 

Epileptic, idiotic and insane individuals sometimes have 
excessive growths of hair. Godfrey speaks of one epileptic 
that consulted him that grew a famous moustache and beard; 
she was then but thirty years of age. Her mother and one 
sister were in an insane asylum, and another sister was nearly 
raving from neuralgic pains. Mitchell tells of an idiot that 
had very heavy eyebrows, and short, stiff hairs growing from 
his face and cheeks; whilst Pinel speaks of another whose 
hairs, on the back and loins, measured two inches in length. 

Another case also is reported of a precocious child, afflicted 
with encephaloid cancer of the liver, that died, when three 
years of age, at St. George's Hospital, and which was pretty 
well covered with hair. Consumptive children, or children from 
phthisical parents, usually have nice heads of silken, glossy hair, 
but it is easily shed. 

The advent of puberty is always a period of accelerated 
hair-growth in both sexes. 

Diagnosis. This is of course easy enough, as it depends 
upon the visible growth of hair in abnormal places, or upon an 
over-growth in customary hairy localities. Moles, or birth- 



98 



EXCESS OF HAIE GEOWTH. 



marks, are usually sites of stiff, bristly hair growth; the hyper- 
emia of the adjacent tissue serving as extra nutriment to the 
hair-shafts, that would otherwise be but imperfectly developed. 

Recently there has come to 
our notice the case of Edwin 
Smith, of Fairfield, Lenawee 
Co., Michigan, who has a local 
notoriety for his long beard, 
and rapid growth of head 
hair. He was forty-five years 
of age, when seen, and his 
beard measured seven feet in 
length. When standing upon 
an ordinary chair, it would 
lap over on the floor. If the 
longest hairs were taken, and 
straightened out, they would 
measure seven feet, six and 
one-half inches in length. 
The beard had been twelve 
years making this enormous 
growth. At fourteen years 
of age he had a heavy growth 
of beard, measuring, at one 
time, six inches in length, though he usually kept it closely 
shaven. When reaching manhood he usually wore his beard 
at a length of six inches, until, when out of mere curiosity 
to see how long it would grow, he began its present lengthy 
growth. He has a twin brother who shows no evidence of 
this marvelous hair-growing; neither is it seen in any of his 
family. The head-hair of Mr. Smith possesses a similar 
exuberance of growth, though not to the same degree per- 




Fig. 24. 



EXCESS OF HAIR GROWTH. \)\) 

haps; he has it cut every month, when some two inches of 
its length is removed each time. He has always enjoyed 
good health till within a year, when, through the protracted 
sickness, and finally death, of his wife, he became very much 
reduced, and has never seemed to have regained his former 
health. There has been nothing extraordinary in his mode of 
living, his diet being that of the ordinary farmer. Undoubt- 
edly the continual draft upon his economy, that his luxuriant 
hair-growth is making, is a prime factor in keeping him in ill 
health. 

The earliest record that we have of excessive hair growth is 
found in one of the Hippocratic treatises [about 500 years 
B. C], where Phsetusa, of the Thracian city, Abdera, and wife 
of Pytheus, awoke one morning with a loss of her beautiful 
voice, and with pains in her joints, and a heavy growth of 
hair starting from her chin. 

Apropos of the case of Mr. Smith, Eble informs us that, in 
the Prince's Court of Eidam, there is a life-size portrait of a 
carpenter represented, whose beard was nine feet in length; he 
carried it in a bag when at his work. Mr. Smith, by the way, 
has his braided in long narrow strands, and these rolled up into 
a ball, one over the other, and then tied, hanging beneath the 
chin; the shorter hairs, therefore, cover it up, so any one would 
not suspect the enormous beard-growth that he carries with 
him. 

Then we have the case of the burgemeister, Hans Steiningen, 
whose beard was so long that, when ascending the steps to the 
Council Chamber, one day, he stepped upon it, and so fell and 
was killed. 

An Amazon was taken in the battle of Pultowa, who was 
the possessor of a beard that measured four and one-half feet 
in length. 



100 EXCESS OF HA1E GROWTH. 

Evelyn relates a case that was exhibited in London, in 1657, 
where a young married woman, Barbara Yan Beck, had a long 
lock of hair growing from each ear, a full beard, mustachios, 
and long hair growing from her nose. This hair was soft, and 
brown in color. 

Wilson gives a case, which he had seen, where a lady, twenty- 
eight years of age, and five feet five inches in height, had hair 
which trailed on the ground three or four inches when walking. 
Her hair was wavy, and it gave positive pain to pull a healthy 
shaft out. 

Damascenus relates that, at Pisa, a girl was born that was 
"all over hairy." This was supposed to have been a birth- 
mark, caused by the mother's habit of rumination, and the fre- 
quent seeing of the picture of John the Baptist, which hung 
by her bedside, dressed in a hairy garment. 

Ruggieri gives an account of a woman, twenty-eight years 
of age, who was covered, from her shoulders to her knees, with 
soft and black woolly hair, like unto that seen on a fashionable 
poodle dog. This was in 1815. 

In 1829 the English Embassy to Burmah (report of Craw- 
ford) saw at Ava a man, Sheve-Maon, who was covered with 
hair from his head to his feet; that upon his face, ears and 
nose, was upwards of eight inches in length, whilst that upon 
his shoulders measured four to five inches. It was of a silvery 
gray color, straight and silky. At birth only the ears were 
involved, which presented hairs two inches in length and of 
silky-flaxen color. At six years of age it appeared on his 
forehead, and spread gradually all over his body. He was 
deficient in teeth, and otherwise stunted in development and 
growth. He did not obtain his permanent teeth till he had 
arrived at the age of twenty years; signs of puberty appeared 
also at that time. He married shortly afterwards, and his wife 






EXCESS OF HAIR GROWTH. 101 

has presented him with four children, all girls; the three elder 
have escaped any hirsutic tendency, as reported by Captain 
Henry Yule, in 1855; the youngest, though, presents unmis- 
takable evidences of inheriting her father's hirsutic tendencies. 
Maphoon's (for this was her name) face was covered, with the 
exception of the upper lip, with hair that was brown in color, 
silky in texture, and four or five inches in length. The ears 
were covered so completely, from the outgrowth of silky hair, 
that only the lobules were visible; it hung down to the length of 
eight inches. Her neck, bosom and arms were covered with a 
fine, pale down. The daughter, as well as father, was lacking 
in the canine teeth and molars; a hard ridge taking the place 
of the grinders. Maphoon also married, and has borne two 
children, boys. The elder (then five years of age) presented 
nothing abnormal; but the younger, then fourteen months old, 
and still nursing, had but little hair upon the scalp, though his 
ear bore a lock of long, silken floss, coming from the meatus; 
and he had a beard and moustache of silky down that would 
delight many a beardless youth. 

Some races are characteristically prone to this excessive 
growth of hair; notably the inhabitants of the Island of 
Tesso, the " hairy men," as they are called. These are the 
Mosinos, and they number about 100,000 souls; they inhabit 
the two cities, Mato-mai and Hako-dadi. They are a short, 
thick-set, clumsy, uncouth race; though have well developed 
foreheads, and dark, expressive eyes. The head is covered with 
a gigantic mass of matted hair, and their beards are long and 
thick, and the whole of their bodies is covered with an extra- 
ordinary profusion of hair. The women stain that portion of 
their faces, which corresponds to the bearded portion of the 
males to a dark color. 

History also tells us of the hairy St. Angus, who was so 



102 EXCESS OF HAIR GROWTH. 

untidy that seed, from his crops, took root in his shaggy cover- 
ing of nature, and so sprouted. 

Then there was the Spanish dancer, Julia Pastrana, who used 
to exhibit herself for pay, that was profusely covered with 
hirsute material; she, with the Burmese family previously men- 
tioned, was lacking in dental development. 

Still more famous was the bearded virgin of Dresden, who 
lived during the earlier portion of the 18th century, whose por- 
trait still adorns the king's gallery at Poland. Michaelis says 
that her beard was of snowy whiteness, and was three inches 
in length. Her moustache was jetty black, though short. 
She was bold and courageous, and ate enormously; her voice 
was strong and powerful. 

Eble also details the case of a young woman, in the time of 
Marie Theresa, who served in the ranks for many years as a 
hussar, and gradually worked her way up to a captain's com- 
mission, that sported a fine mustachio. 

A somewhat similar case, in which sex was seemingly dis- 
guised, was that recorded by Dr. Chowne, in 1852, of a young 
lady, born in Switzerland, that applied at Charing-cross 
Hospital for examination, in order to secure a certificate of 
her sex, so that she might consummate marriage; the min- 
ister to whom she had applied doubting her sexuality. She 
was then five months advanced in pregnancy. She stated that 
when born hair was on her face, and when eight years of age 
it was two inches in length; her upper and lower lip were, 
however, hairless. Her whiskers and beard, at the time of her 
presentation for examination, were very bushy, and measured 
four inches in length. Upon her body the hair was consider- 
ably, but not excessively, developed; otherwise she was not so 
very different from other women of her nationality. Her 
brother was as remarkable for a deficiency of hair growth, as she 



EXCESS OF HAIR GROWTH. 103 

was in its excessive abundance; and her sister, younger by two 
years, had a similar peculiarity of exuberance of hirsutic 
growth. 

Gross relates the case of an old lady who is compelled to 
shave weekly to keep down the excessive hair growth from her 
chin, cheeks and lips; her whole aspect, excepting the length 
of her head hair, is decidedly masculine. 

Robb details the case of a girl, four years of age, that he 
saw in 1877, that was covered with soft downy hair, excepting 
in the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet (the parts 
always devoid of hair in all hirsute individuals). There is also 
constant and profuse perspiration of offensive odor; it is of a 
dark yellow color, and of great specific gravity; it is so pro- 
fuse that, half an hour after being washed and cleanly dressed, 
she will be as wet as if a bucket of water had been thrown 
over her. Her voice is coarse, like a man's, and she is very 
large and strong, weighing one hundred pounds. Her form, 
however, is perfect; the mammae are fully developed, and she 
menstruates as regularly as ladies at the ordinary age of 
puberty. She is nearly five feet in height and measures 
eighteen inches across the chest. Up to February of the year 
previous there had been no extra growth of hair, or this sweat- 
ing; a little after that time she became suddenly warmer than 
normal, and the growth of the soft downy hair, the color of 
that on her head, commenced, and now it hides the skin com- 
pletely. 

Treatment. From the numerous cases given it is evident 
that no one plan of treatment will suffice. Undoubtedly the 
cases of general hairiness are beyond the reach of medicine, or 
surgery; still, it is interesting to note that in all there was evi- 
dence of general nervous disturbance; the teeth, in most cases, 
were poorly and insufficiently developed; in such cases reme- 



104 EXCESS OF HAIR GROWTH. 

dies addressed to the nervous system generally would be indi- 
cated. Other food-like medicines, as cod-liver oil, extract of 
malt, the hypophosphites and iron would be indicated. In phthis- 
ical or strumous cases, this plan of tonic treatment would be 
imperative. The use of the tincture of the chloride of iron, 
or at least iron in some form, with cod-liver oil, is a remedy that 
should be persisted in for months in these cases of general 
hirsuties. The manner of administration should be changed 
frequently, so the stomach will not tire of it. 

Godfrey recommends the brushing of the hairy surface with 
a solution of equal parts of liquor potassse and alcohol, at night, 
then following in the morning with a tepid bath, and pretty free 
use of soap. If used carefully no damage will be done the skin, 
and the hairs will be dissolved by the action of the potash. It is 
doubtful, however, whether the papillae, the parts really at fault, 
will be destroyed by this treatment. Still, a thorough trial 
should be made of something of this kind. Sulphuric acid 
also dissolves hair, but it is slower in its action than the liquor 
potassa3. 

When the Polytrichia is more local, other methods should be 
adopted. If dependent upon uterine malfunction, as is usually 
the case in females, this should be looked to from the first. As 
a rule, too, the same general treatment of tonics, mentioned 
above, should be adopted, for the system is a general sufferer. 
Let one organ get diseased, and all the other organs suffer in a 
minor degree. 

A pleasant form for the administration of iron, in these cases, 
is the citrate, combined with the cinchona bark, thus: 

]J. Ferri citratis (citrate of iron), 1 ss (% ounce). 

Tr. cinchonae comp. (compound tincture cinchona), I iij (3 ounces). 
- Vini xerici (sherry wine), q. s. ad § viij (enough to make 8 ounces). 

M. S. Dessertspoonful, in }4 wineglass of water, at meal time. 






EXCESS OF HAIR GROWTH. 105 

The bowels should be kept in a proper condition, and move- 
ments should be had daily. This can be done by the use of a 
rhubarb pill, or, what I prefer, with one of the fluid extracts 
of the buckthorns, combined with a little nux vomica, thus: 

R. Fl. ext. rhamni f rangulae (buckthorn bark), 1 ij (2 ounces). 
Fl. ext. nucis vomicae (nux vomica, fl. ext.), 3 j (1 drachm). 
Syr. tolutani (syrup tolu), 1 ij (2 ounces). 

M. S. Teaspoonful two or three times a day. 

As a local application, some one of the numerous depilatories 
can be made use of. The most ancient is fire. This is a sure 
one, but it is very painful, and is apt to scar. Dionysius 
(B. C, 430) of Sicily, who wished to appear effeminate, used 
to singe his beard off with walnut shells heated to whiteness? 
and Aristophanes tells of a dame that used to remove her 
superfluous beard and mustachios by the use of a lamp. 

In the eastern harems the ladies use a compound known as 
rusma. Its composition is as follows: 

R. Arseniei tersulphur. (orpiment), 3 ss (J^ drachm). 
Calcis (quick lime), 5 ss (^ ounce). 
Farinae tritici (wheat flour), sij (2 scruples). 

Aquae ferv. (boiling water), q. s. ut pasta ft. mollis (sufficient quantity to 
make a soft paste). 

This is then put on the part to be depilated, with a wooden 
spatula, to the thickness of a knife blade, and left for from 
five to ten minutes, or until it begins to sting; then scrape 
it off with a blunt-edged knife, washing the skin with warm 
water. Some rice or starch powder may then be dusted on the 
parts, or the whole covered with the officinal unguentum zinci 
oxidi (oxide of zinc ointment). This is to be repeated, every 
day or two, till the superfluous hairs are removed. 

Boudet's depilatory is composed as follows: 

R\ Sodii sulphatis (sulphate of soda), 3 iij (3 drachms). 
Calcis (quick lime), 3 x (10 drachms). 
Amyli (starch), 3 x ^10 drachms). 



106 EXCESS OF HAIR GROWTH. 

These are to be finely powdered and intimately mixed, and 
kept in a ground-glass stoppered bottle. When used, enough 
water should be added to a little of the compound powder 
to make a thin paste, and it is to be applied as in the preceding 
preparation. 

Rayer's depilatory is as follows: 

R\ Calcis (quick lime), 3 ij (2 drachms). 
Sodii carb. (saLsoda), 3 iij (3 drachms). 
Cerati simp, (simple cerate), I ij (2 ounces). 

M. This is to be applied as the two preceding. 

Most of the patent-right depilatories, found in the market, 
contain arsenic; anyhow they should not be used, as their com- 
position is unknown. 

The following is the way the English belles, of some four 
centuries ago, had for doing these things; it is taken from the 
first work on midwifery published in the English language, 
and is known as "The Birth of Mankinde; Otherwise named 
the Woman's Booke. Set forth in English by Thos. Raynald, 
Physitian, London. Printed for A. H., and are to be sold by 
John Morret, at the two Tuns, in little Britaine, 1634." 

"to take hayre from places where it is unseemly. 

" Item. — Sometimes hayre groweth in places unseemly and out 
of order: as in many maidens (i. e., women) the hayre groweth 
so low in the foreheads and the temples, that it disfigureth 
them. For this yee may use three wayes to remove them: either 
to plucke up one after another with pincers, such as many 
women have for the nonce, other else with this lee following. 

" Take new burnt Lime foure ounces, of Arseneck an ounce, 
steepe both these in a pint of water the space of two days, 
and then boyle it in a pint to a half. 

"And to prove whether it be perfect, dippe a feather therein, 
and if the plume of the feather depart off easily, then it is 



EXCESS OF HAIR GROWTH. 107 

strong enough: with this water then anoynt so farre the place 
yee would have bare from hayre, as it liketh you, and within a 
quarter of an houre pluck at the hayres and they will follow, 
and then wash that place much with water wherein Bran hath 
been steeped : and that done, anoynt the place with the white 
of a new laid Egge and oyle Olive, beaten and mixt together 
with the juyce of Singrene or Purflaine, to allay the heat 
engendred of the foresaid lee. 

"The third way to remove hayre, is a Plaister made of very 
dry pitch and upon leather applyed to the place, the hayres 
being first shaven, and cut as neare as can be with a payre of 
Scysors. 

"Now, when the hayres be up by the rootes, then to let them 
that they grow no more, take of Alome the weight of a groate 
and dissolve it in two spoonefuls of the juyce of Nightshade, 
or of Henbane, and therewithal anoynt the place two or three 
times every day, the space of nine or ten days, and hayre will 
grow no more in that place." 

Late years a minor surgical procedure has been adopted for 
getting rid of these superfluous hairs, that are a "thorn in the 
flesh," as it were, to some of our ladies, and this is done 
with the aid of electricity or some potent caustic. When 
the former is used, a constant battery of from six to ten cells 
should be employed. The negative pole of this is attached to 
a fine cambric needle, mounted in a suitable handle, whilst the 
positive, by means of a soft sponge, is put in communication 
with an adjacent part of the body from which the hairs are to 
be removed. Each hair is seized with a pair of forceps, and 
partially withdrawn from the follicle (it is left partially in as 
a guide), when the cambric-needle, in connection with the 
negative pole of the battery, is thrust carefully down to the 
bottom of the follicle, and retained a few seconds, or until a 



108 EXCESS OF HAIR GROWTH. 

white line shows the operation as completed. A lens of 
fifteen diameters' magnifying power is quite an assistant to the 
vision. This is a modification of Michele's method, and is not 
a very painful one. As many as a hundred and sixty hairs, in 
the space of a half an hour, have been removed by this 
method. 

Another method, Piffard's, is somewhat similar to the above, 
only the battery is dispensed with. In this case, after the hair 
is partially withdrawn, a fine, three-cornered surgeon's needle, 
securely held in a needle forceps, is forced to the bottom of 
the follicle, and rapidly twirled back and forth two or three 
times; this usually breaks down the papilla, and the succeeding 
inflammation generally obliterates it entirely. If the needle, 
previous to its being used upon each hair, be dipped in a solu- 
tion of carbolic acid in olive oil (equal parts of each), it will 
be found to be of advantage. Another authority has recom- 
mended an injection of a drop of the following solution, by 
means of a hypodermic syringe, into each follicle: 

fy. Zinci Chloridi (chloride of zinc), 3 ij (2 drachms). 
Aquae (water), 3 iij (3 drachms). 

but this has no special advantage over the needle method pre- 
viously given. The success of the needle method averages 
about fifty per cent; that is, about one-half of the hairs so 
treated will return again in time, and their follicles will need to 
be treated as before. 

Still another method is to seize the hair firmly in the bite of 
the forceps, stretch it taut, but not enough to withdraw it 
from its follicle, then push down to its papilla a fine cambric 
needle that has been previously coated with a thin film of 
nitrate of silver. The cauterizing effect of the silver destroys 
the papilla, and the hair drops out, of its own accord, in a 
short time. 



CHAPTER X. 

CANITIES. 

BLANCHING, OR TURNING. GRAY, OP THE HAIR. 

Synonyms. Trichonosis discolor, or cana ; Poliothrix, absence of hair pigment. 

Derivation. From the Latin word canities, meaning white 
or light gray color (canus, hoary). 

Description. I have, in a previous chapter, that upon the 
Chemistry of the Hair, spoken of the different chemical ele- 
ments found in hair, and especially of the large amount of 
phosphate of lime found in the ash of gray hair. A rule of 
the whole physical economy of the aged is that fatty degene- 
ration of tissue, and phosphatic deposit, shall be taking place 
everywhere. This is really but a process of living animal 
decay, and which we call "the decline of the aged." As 
regards the scalp, the tone of the blood vessels and nerves is 
lessened, and hence perfect hair-cell growth, either of coloring 
or formative matter, is impossible. The final result of all this 
is a gradual blanching of the color of the hair. Light hair is 
slower to make this change than the darker colored, from the 
fact that a maximum amount of coloring matter was never 
secreted, and hence the papillae and pigment-making materials 
are not so soon exhausted. 

Usually the beard is the first to show the approach of age, 
turning gray at its upper portion, near the ears, first of all. 
At about the same time the hair, over the region of the tem- 
ples, begins to show the presence of " silvery locks." Creep- 
ing therefrom, the whiteness extends up to the crown of the 



110 BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. 

head, and down to the forehead, and with this there is apt to 
be a gradual loss of the hair. Yet, by no means should it be 
understood that because the hair is gray it is always of lessened 
vitality, since for years it may grow as strong and luxuriant as 
when of brown or raven hue. The upper portion of the papilla, 
or that which gives the coloring cells to the hair-shaft, is 
undoubtedly the seat of disease in these cases; the lower por- 
tion remaining free, of course the formative cells of the hair- 
shafts are furnished in normal quantity, and hence the shaft 
preserves its growth in length. 

The cause of the growth of white hair after burns of the 
scalp, or quite severe local inflammations, both in man and ani- 
mals, is explainable on this same basis. The burn, or inflamma- 
tory action, has extended deep enough to destroy the top of the 
papilla, but not enough to implicate the base, and hence a white 
hair is the result. If we represent the papilla in the follicle 
diagrammatically by the letter /\, then that portion above the 
cross-bar in the letter will represent the color-forming part of 
the papilla; that below, the hair-forming portion. 

Dr. Wertheim, of Vienna, who has made many experiments 
and examinations upon the papillae of gray hair, has found the 
papillae to be in the different colored stages of black, dark-red, 
blood-red, reddish yellow and white, progressively; the black 
papilla, giving a dark-colored hair in each instance. When the 
papilla was red, or reddish, the hair springing therefrom was 
losing its normal dark color; when white, nothing but white 
hair was produced therefrom. In the falling out of the hair, 
it was found, on examination, that the pigmentary cells at the 
top of the papilla became loosened, and the hair was thrown 
out by the contraction of its follicle. As hair is nourished by 
minute vessels that come into close contact with the bulb, yet 
do not enter it, it is evident that but a little perverted nervous 



BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. Ill 

influence is necessary to check the formative growth of the 
pigmentary and forming cells, for a time, and hence gray hair, 
or even a total loss of hair, would soon be the result. For 
further reference to this part of the subject, see the chapters 
upon the Anatomy of the Hair and Follicle. 

The three microscopical conditions found in gray or white 
hair, as first described by Dr. Pincus, of Berlin, are as follows: 

1. The pigmentary cells and granules disappear from the 
external layers of the cortical substance. If any hair is 
watched in its growth, for several years, it will be found that 
it undergoes several minor changes or alterations in color. 
This is the most usual form. 

2. In the cortical and medullary portion of the hairs of 
stronger growth there occur little interspaces between the 
separating cellular imbrications; in some instances they become, 
comparatively, quite large. If, however, this is more marked 
in the medullary portion of the shaft, the cortical portion 
being only slightly affected, the hair assumes more of an iron- 
gray color. 

3. The cortical portion of the hair may become split, or 
roughed-up, like a brush-head, in many places, and if these 
spots be found closely together, a gray color of the hair is sure 
to result, as the little interstices are colorless. 

CONGENITAL CANITIES AND ALBINISM. 

This is the second variety of canities, and with the exception 
of the race known as Albinos, is only partial, as regards its 
extent, upon the head or body. A single lock, it may be, is 
alone transmitted from generation to generation. Sometimes, 
however, the whole scalp will be spotted with tufts of white or 
gray hair. 

Bartholin reports a case of a babe that he saw, which had 



112 BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. 

one-half of its head covered with white, and the other half 
with jet-black hair. 

Sibley gives a case where a girl, of Somersetshire, had one 
side of her head covered with jet-black hair, whilst the other 
side was covered with hair of a reddish yellow. The body 
hair was as characteristically marked. The mother's hair was 
a carroty-red. Another case, the same author details, is that 
of a son of a white father, but negro mother, who had the hair 
on the right side of his head long and brown, like his father's, 
but on the left side short and woolly, like his mother's. 

In a case where a Negro married a white woman, and had 
two sons and three daughters, the eldest son was curiously 
marked in having the lower portion (below the navel) of his 
body with black skin and curly hair, like his father's, whilst the 
upper portion of his body was like his mother's, as regards the 
skin and hair. 

Dr. Rizzoli narrates a case of the hereditability of white 
locks in the person of a young girl that had a lock of long, 
thick white hair growing from her forehead, whilst the rest of 
the hair of her head was jet black. This white lock had been 
congenital in her family for over two hundred years; twenty- 
three individuals, in six generations, had each borne his mark. 

Dr. Nayler narrates the case of a boy, ten years of age when 
he saw him, that had a patch of white hair on his eyebrow, and 
a streak of the same color across the scalp, near the forehead, 
that was one inch in width by three inches in length. This • 
was a hereditary peculiarity, his mother and one of his brothers 
being similarly marked. 

The same author also reports a case he had met, in which a 
band of white hair encircled the occiput from one ear to the 
other. The band was one-half an inch in width and was up 
about an inch from the inferior margin of the scalp. This had 



BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. 113 

t 

existed from birth. The normal color of his hair was brown. 
In a gentleman with a head of long black hair, a white lock 
was seen that had always been of that color from the first 
growth of the beard. 

Dr. Hodgkin also gives an instance of a white lock of hair 
descending through several generations. Darwin, also, of an 
Irish gentleman with dark-colored hair, who had a white lock on 
the side of his head. His mother had the same hirsute marking 
on the opposite side of the head, though his grandmother had 
one on the same side as his was on. 

Such changes as these could only be possible where the 
condition of the papilla was such as we have just indicated, 
viz., injured at the top, where the color-producing elements are 
found. Were it due to a general disease, then all the hair 
follicles must suffer in an equal ratio; that is, all the hair must 
become gray; yet, in these cases the gray hair was of as thrifty 
growth as the colored, hence proving that the formative por- 
tion of the papillae remained uninjured, although the upper, or 
coloring portion, was destroyed. 

As regards Albinism, it is usually looked upon as a sign of 
physical deterioration. Albinos are found everywhere. Yet 
the term was originally used to designate white children born of 
black parents. They are found among all nationalities as well 
as among animals, and it is a notorious fact that cats with blue 
eyes and white fur, are always deaf. White horses, and white 
pigs or cows are less robust than their fellows. White sheep 
are poisoned with food that black sheep eat with impunity. 
This is made practical use of by the inhabitants of Tarentino, 
who only raise black flocks, as the white sheep* are killed by 
eating of an herb, Hypericum crispum, that grows in abun- 
dance thereabouts; the black eat it with impunity. Even the 
ordinary buckwheat plant, when in flower, it is said, is injurious 



114 BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. 

to white or spotted pigs feeding on it, if they are exposed to 
the direct rays of the sun; yet black pigs, under the same con- 
ditions, are uninjured. Darwin asserts that Albino Negroes 
suffer more from insect bites than the regular blacks, that 
white chickens are more puny than colored, that white-horned 
cattle suffer more from flies than darker colored, and that white 
terriers are more liable to distemper than colored dogs.- He 
also relates a case of a gentleman's turning a drove of fifteen 
horses into a field of mildewed tares; the spotted (white) 
chestnuts and bays were seriously injured by the formation of 
angry sores about the white spots. The bays with no white 
spots were uninjured. 

Even in the vegetable world the same peculiarity is observed; 
white onions, white verbenas and other white flowering plants 
are more susceptible to disease, mildew and parasites than 
those of darker hues. 

In Prussia it has been found that vetches, which have become 
mildewed, sicken and sometimes kill the horses with white 
spots that feed upon them; the white spots becoming inflamed 
and gangrenous, although the dark-haired portion of the skin 
remains unaffected. 

The condition Albinismus may be general, or it may be par- 
tial, as regards an individual's body. The former is repre- 
sented by persons wanting of pigment everywhere about 
their bodies; the iris itself being blood-red from the want of 
the coloring substance to modify the hue of the circulating 
blood therein; this delicate member is kept, in daylight, in a 
state of constant contraction, so as to shut off as many of the 
light rays as possible from the over-sensitive retina. As a rule, 
the intellect is also weakened in these unfortunate cases. 

The Dutch, from the natural proclivities of Albinos to be 
abroad only in darkness, gave them the name Kaker-lachen 



i 



BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. 115 

(cock-roaches). The inhabitants of Java call their Albinos 
Chracrelas ; those of Ceylon, Bedhas ; the Africans call theirs 
Dongos, and the Portuguese call the same African tribes, Lank 
CEthiopes (Leucceth lopes, or white negroes) ; whilst the Hindoos 
term their Albinos Pdndan, and endeavor to destroy them as 
soon as they come into the world, believing them to be begotten 
in and of sin. 

This abnormality is most frequently met with in African and 
East Indian tribes. In certain respects the Hindoo belief, 
though savoring much of barbarianism, is not far out of the 
way. Consanguineous marriages really should be looked upon 
as a crime, since offspring from all such matrimonial alli- 
ances are so commonly demented individuals, or inheriters of 
sickly, puny constitutions. The only reason why there is not 
more of albinismus and imbecility from consanguineous alli- 
ances is from the fact that such marriages are so often sterile. 
Dr. Devoy reports the marriages of two brothers to their two 
first cousins (sisters); the seven children born to these two 
families were all victims of Albinismus, though there was no 
previous history of this condition in their families. 

Dr. Godfrey gives the instance of a physician marrying a 
near relative; he had two sons, each an Albino, though they 
did not seem to suffer in intellect. 

Delacouse asserts that the Albinos of the western continent 
are incapable of producing offspring, and that they are of either 
a scrofulous or lymphatic diathesis. Devoy also supports this 
assertion. 

Partial albinismus, of which we have given several instances 
in the preceding pages, is a hereditary peculiarity, the mark- 
ings appearing in the family history for several generations; 
whereas general albinismus is a congenital disorder, the result, 
nearly always, of close intermarriages. 



116 SUDDEN BLANCHING OF THE HAIR. 



SUDDEN BLANCHING OF THE HAIR. 

This is the third variety of canities, and one, next to senile 
grayness, the most frequently seen. A part, or all, of the scalp- 
hair may be the portion blanched; though the more usual way 
is to have but a portion of the scalp showing the whitening of 
its hirsute covering. This is due, mostly, to some severe 
nervous disturbance, induced by either fright or disease. 
Some strange freaks of nature are observed in the matter of 
this sudden decoloration of hair; for often, in a single night, or 
in the space of a few hours, or even moments, hair, which was 
formerly of a dark color, is changed to a silvery gray. Many 
of these cases are historical facts, as notably that of Marie 
Antoinette, the Queen of Louis XVI., whose magnificent 
auburn tresses changed to gray in a single night (1791), when 
the royal party was arrested at Varennes. Another royal 
instance is that of Mary, Queen of Scots, whose auburn hair, 
through fright and grief, was changed to gray in the course of 
a few days. Miss C. D. Brent, of Washington, has in her pos- 
session a lock of hair of this unfortunate individual. It is of 
silky texture, and of a beautiful pale auburn color. Quite a 
history is attached to this lock: 

When Mary was a prisoner in the castle of Lochburn, in the 
winter and early spring of 1658, she drew young George 
Douglas, the governor of Lochburn, into her favor, for the 
purpose of effecting her escape. The youth was won com- 
pletely. On the evening of the 2d of May, 1658, the keeper 
and his family being at table, George seized the keys and fled 
across the lake with the royal prisoner. For this romantic 
allegiance Queen Mary presented to George Douglas a lock of 
her hair. Now it so came about that, as time rolled on, this 
lock — of a silken texture and beautiful pale auburn — was found 



SUDDEN BLANCHING OF THE HAIR. 117 

among some old papers at Wishaw, one of the estates of the 
Douglas family. And as time again passed, when the late 
John Carroll Brent visited the late Mrs. Catharine Pye Doug- 
las, of Rose Hill, Scotland, a relative, she showed him the 
lock, and, dying seven years later, in 1847, bequeathed it to 
him. At the death of John Carroll Brent it fell into the 
possession of his sister, Miss C. D. Brent, of Washington, D. C. 
Prisoners of war, and condemned criminals, also present 
examples of this sudden blanching of the hair. Byron has 
made an interesting point of this in his " Prisoner of Chillon," 
whom he makes to say: 

" My hair is gray, but not with years; 
Nor grew it white 
In a single night, 
As men's have grown from sudden fears." 

Shakspeare, in Henry IV., has also made note of the sudden 
blanching of the hair. Thus, he has one of his characters 

say: 

" Worcester is stolen away to-night; 
Thy father's beard is turned white with the news." 

Scott has also taken advantage of the same physiological 
fact, and says, in " Marmion : " 

" For deadly fear can time outgo, 

And blanch at once the hair. 
Hard toil can roughen form and face, 
And want can quench the eye's bright grace; 
Nor does Old Age a wrinkle trace 

More deeply than Despair." 

It is also authentically stated that the hair of Sir Thomas 
More turned gray on the night preceding his execution; and 
Dr. Parry relates the instance of a Sepoy, of the Bengal army, 
aged twenty-four years, who was taken prisoner in 1858, and, 
while under examination, his hair, which was the jet black of 



118 SUDDEN BLANCHING OF THE HAIE. 

the Bengalee, turned gray, all over his head, within the space 
of half an hour. 

Very similar to this last is the case of a Mr. Anderson, a 
circus performer, and friend of one of my patients. His age 
was thirty-nine at the. time of the sudden blanching of his hair. 
During an accident to one of the cages, he got confined 
between a large bear, that had just broken out, and an elephant 
which he had made angry by giving it a mouthful of tobacco 
a little while previously. He was expecting immediate destruc- 
tion, and his hair, which was quite dark, in the space of a 
few moments changed to gray, never to regain its normal 
color. 

Turner relates a case of a young man, Don Diego Osorious, 
who had been seized by the king's guard, when holding a 
stolen interview with a young lady of the Spanish court, and 
so incarcerated. This was a capital offense, and it so terrified 
the man, when sentence was pronounced upon him, that in the 
same night his hair was turned to gray. The occurrence, how- 
ever, was fortunate, as it saved him his life. 

In a railroad accident that occurred recently in California, 
where a miner fell under a car and had both of his legs 
amputated, a young man, by the name of Weston, seeing the 
ghastly wounds, fainted; on being restored to consciousness 
his hair, which previously was black, was, as the account says, 
" as white as snow." 

In a railway accident in England, Dr. Ellis reports that a 
young man was so severely frightened, by being thrown from 
the car, although uninjured, that his brown hair was changed 
to gray, especially that over the temples, on the following 
morning. His age was thirty years. 

Dr. Cassan notes the case of a lady who was summoned to 
give evidence upon a trial in progress before the House of 



SUDDEN BLANCHING OF THE HAIR. 119 

Peers, and which occasioned such fright, that in a single night 
her hair was turned to gray. She was thirty years of age. 

A German physiologist has observed that several of his 
delirium tremens cases, which he had in the hospital, have 
been affected with a sudden blanching of the hair. He exam- 
ined the hairs under the microscope, and found that air was 
infiltrated throughout their substance. 

In the late notorious Tichborne trial, Abbe Lefevre gave 
testimony that he had dreamed that he had seen the murder of 
his father, in all of its horrid details, and as a result of the 
fright his beard turned to gray that night. 

Again, in Caesar's time, a young nobleman was cast into 
prison, and he was so exercised thereby, fearing execution, that 
by the next day his hair and beard had changed from their 
original dark color to a gray. The emperor suspected counter- 
feiting, at first; but on examination, finding it to be a freak of 
nature, dependent upon fright, forgave him the crime for which 
he had been incarcerated. 

A case is related to me of a soldier in the War of the Rebel- 
lion, who was wounded in the chest — shot through the lung — - 
and so lay sick a long time in the hospital, who, on his recovery, 
found that the hair, growing from the center of the forward 
portion of the scalp, had changed to a gray color. This gray 
tuft continued for years, and so far as my informant knows, to 
the present time. It would be hard to account for this freak 
of nature as the head was entirely uninjured. 

In the confinement of Mr. Stokes, of our own time, for the 
shooting of Jim Fiske, the early turning to gray of his hair 
was a constant theme for newspaper discussion. 

In 1872 Dr. Wilson reported the case of a lady who, during 
pregnancy, had received a severe shock, the result being a 
complete loss of hair, for a year, from a portion of her scalp. 



120 SUDDEN BLANCHING OP THE HAIR. 

It then began to grow over the bald portion, but it was white 
in color; in two years more the white hair had changed to even 
a darker hue than the rest of her hirsute head-covering. 

Boyle tells us that an Irish captain, who had delivered him- 
self up to the British forces, on the ground of pardon pro- 
claimed by Lord Broghil, and learning of the Lord's absence 
from the place of encampment, was so fearful lest he might be 
executed before his Lordship's return, that his hair assumed a 
piebald condition; a part being white, and the rest the normal 
reddish hue. 

Captain P., of Vermont, when taken prisoner by the British 
in 1813, on the Canadian frontier, was told that he would be 
shot on the coming morning; the fright was so severe that 
during the night his hair, which was previously jet black, was 
turned to gray. 

A professional acquaintance of mine once became the victim 
of a sudden blanching of the hair; in a single night his hair 
changed from a raven-black to silvery whiteness. Rumor saith 
that he was under the pernicious influence of " seventy miles 
of golden locks" at the time; in other words that he was 
jilted. 

As a supplement to this is the case of a lady of London who, 
on receiving the news of the shipwreck, and drowning, of her 
affianced, when on his way to complete his engagement, by 
marriage to her, fell into a swoon. On the following morning 
her hair, which had previously been dark brown, was found to 
have turned to silvery gray, though her eyebrows and eyelashes 
retained their normal hue. 

Moreau records the case of a man, thirty years of age, losing 
by death a dearly beloved wife; on the morning following 
her demise his hair, through grief, was found white as snow. 

To turn the tables, and show that love may work mightily in 



BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. 



121 



an opposite direction — though this might not have been the 
reason for the freak of hair-blanching in this case — I give the 
following: A gentleman, forty years of age, possessed of a 
luxuriant growth of dark hair, was married to the lady of his 
choice, and took the customary bridal tour. Now, we have no 
means of knowing what his lady said to him, when away, but 
it was a fact, lamentable though it may seem, that his hair 
was so completely snow-white on his return, even to his eye- 
brows, that his own personal friends doubted his identity. 

Causes. These have been given, incidentally, in the cases 
representing the three varieties of canities, narrated in the 
preceding pages. The nervous system is, undoubtedly, pri- 
marily at fault, in most instances. In old age the nerves are 
among the first of the wheels of life to tire out, and break 
down; the many instances of blanching from fright and sor- 
row are also so many instances of perverted nervous action; 
even in the congenital cases it is the transmission of nervous 
(hereditary) impressions from the parents to their offspring 
that leads to premature grayness, or albinismus, even. Among 
dyspeptics, too, gray hair is a common sign; and even here it is 
undoubtedly a reflex nervous action that induces the decolori- 
zation of the hair, rather than the non-digestion of the food, 
per se ; of course the dyspepsia is the exciting cause. 

It is also quite well authenticated that cold weather, if 
prolonged, induces grayness of the beard. Captain Markham, 
who once commanded a vessel on an exploring expedition to 
the Arctic regions, noticed, as a curious fact, that those who 
were for a long period absent from their ship had their hair 
on their faces bleached nearly white. The loss of color was 
gradual, and, although noticed, was never alluded to; each 
one imagining that his companions' hair was turning gray from 
the effects of hardship and anxiety. It was only after their 



122 BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. 

return to the ship that those possessing beards and moustaches 
discovered the change of hue in their own hair. And yet the 
color gradually returned in about three or four weeks, after 
being less exposed to the inclement weather. Hairs of animals 
are equally subject to this change of color through the influence 
of cold; it is supposed that the color of the hirsute coating of 
the polar bear is due to this cause, in great measure, as it is 
continually exposed to the coldest of weather, and for pro- 
longed periods. The lemming has been proven, by Sir John 
Ross, to whiten its coat, if exposed to severe weather. Expos- 
ing one to a temperature of 30° below zero, it was found, on the 
next morning, that white spots of fur were on each cheek, and 
on each shoulder; the day following, the back part of the body 
and flanks were of a dirty white color, and by the end of the 
week the whole animal was white, excepting a small spot at the 
middle of the back. The white hairs were the longest of any 
in the body, hence proving unquestionably that the original 
hair-cylinders were blanched, and that it was not a new growth 
of hair. 

Somewhat akin to this is the fact that human hair also grows 
faster in summer than in winter; also faster by day than by 
night. All these conditions, I think, are clearly explained by 
the perverted nervous action induced by the cold and absence 
of the usual amount of daylight. The skin is shrunken by the 
action of the cold, and hence, from this, as a mechanical cause, 
less blood is brought to the scalp, less nutriment is supplied 
the papillae, and so grayness or blanching results. 

The graying of the hair, as an effect of prolonged financial 
and business worry, may be explained in a similar way. 
Numerous instances are on record of the speedily turning gray 
of the hair after business reverses, the same as after grief 
following the loss of friends. Wearing of closely fitting and 



BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. 123 

illy-ventilated hats, especially in the house, or office, is another 
predisposing cause for early grayness. 

Heredity also has much to do as a predisposing cause, though 
it is not so much the white hair factor that is handed down, as 
it is the perverted nervous influences, vitiated constitutions, 
scrofula, and the like, that are transmitted, and which speedily 
induce, secondarily, early or premature grayness, or even albi- 
nism. 

Neuralgias, and nerve injuries, are frequently followed by 
a turning gray of the hair upon the parts supplied by the 
diseased nerve. I have several ladies under my professional 
care whose neuralgic headaches (confined to the summit of the 
head) lasting, usually, two or three days at a time, are followed 
by a marked grayness of the scalp over the painful region, 
though the normal color returns after a few days. Dr. Anistie 
is himself a victim to the blanching of the hair upon the right 
side of the head, owing to persistent attacks of supra-orbital 
neuralgia and migraine. There is no falling out of the hair, 
and in a few days, following the attack, the normal color is 
nearly or quite restored. Dr. Paget, in his " Surgical Pathol- 
ogy," relates the case of a lady, subject to nervous headaches, 
who, on the morning following an attack, finds her hair, in spots, 
as white as if powdered with starch; in a few days the normal 
color returns again. 

Some authors, as Vanquelin, have argued that an acid condi- 
tion of the blood is generated in the animal economy, and 
this causes the sudden cases of decolorization; possibly this is 
an important factor in many cases of sudden blanching of the 
hair. Additional weight is added to it from the fact that, as 
is well known, an acid or poisonous condition of the nursing- 
mother's milk is induced by severe fits of anger, or prolonged 
mental worry, and her child is speedily made sick by drawing 



124 BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. 

such nourishment; indeed, cases are on record of a child's 
speedy death from such a cause. Still, the most important 
factor in the case I believe to be the want of proper and 
regular supply of blood — hence, formative materials — to the 
hair papillae, the pigmentary-forming portion suffering most of 
all; and this, through a vicious action of the sympathetic 
nervous system. Concerning the further action of this system, 
and its direct influence over circulation, through its vaso-dilator 
and constrictor branches, it is not our province herein to treat 
of, as it is now generally conceded by all physiologists. 

Other authorities, as Dr. Landois, have looked *upon the 
phenomenon as being due to the collection of air-globules in 
the fibrous portion of the shaft; this view would be tenable if 
the case were always of slow growth, and the air-globules 
entered into the shaft at its root, where all the cellular elements 
of the hair-cylinder are formed and moulded together; but this 
is not usually the case, although it was the condition actually 
found by Dr. Wilson in the interesting case of variegated hair, 
which I give in the following chapter. 

Treatment. In a general way this is referable to two 
plans — Preventative and Curative. The blanching of hair 
from fright, the condition known as albinismus, and the pro- 
gressive whitening from age would come more directly under 
the first division, as curative agents are rarely^ of avail. The 
chapter devoted to the Hygiene of the Hair can be referred to 
as a matter of general preventatory treatment; to this should 
be added the inferences that may be drawn, from reading the 
many instances cited in this chapter, of what should be 
avoided, so far as possible. 

As to curative measures, some one or all of the stimulating 
washes recommended in the chapter upon Alopecia, or Loss of 
Hair, will be good to apply. Frictions of the scalp, with a 



BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. 125 

bristle brush, night and morning, bathing the head with cold 
water, and if the scalp be unduly dry and harsh, a dressing, 
like the following, will prove of service: 

R\ Olei cocois (cocoa-nut oil), % ij (2 ounces). 

Tr. nucis vomicas (tr. nux vomica), 3 hj (3 drachms). 

Spr. myrcise (bay rum), 5 j (1 ounce). 

01. bergami (oil bergamont), gtts. xx (20 drops). 

As, in most cases, the nervous system is exhausted, remedies 
addressed thereto are of value. Nux vomica and phosphorus, 
combined with iron or arsenic, will be indicated. Cod-liver 
oil is also an excellent adjuvant. There is a pill already pre- 
pared, in coated form, that is composed of phosphorus, T -J-g- 
grain; strychnia, -g 1 ^ grain; carbonate of iron, one grain, that 
will prove as valuable as any extemporaneous formula. The 
compound phosphorus and quinine pill will also prove of 
value; this is composed of phosphorus, -^ grain; reduced 
iron, one grain; strychnia, -g 1 ^ grain; quinine, \ grain. Either 
of these pills can be given in increasing doses as occasion may 
demand. Of arsenic, the best form for administration is 
Fowler's solution, the following making a very eligible pre- 
paration : 

R\ Lq. potassii arsenitis (Fowler's solution), 3 j (1 drachm). 
Tr. ferri chloridi (muriate tr. of iron), 3 ij (2 drachms). 
Tr. cinchonas comp., 5 i 3 (2 ounces). 

Tr. cardamomi comp. (comp. tr. cardamom), q. s. ad 1 iv (enough to make 
4 ounces). 

M. S. Teaspoonful four times a day. 

If neuralgia is a prominent symptom, this must also be met 
by remedies calculated to overcome the cause; if this be found 
to be dependent upon carious teeth, a dentist should be con- 
sulted, and the offending members withdrawn; if upon uterine 
derangements, which is one of the most common causes for 
early graying of the hair in the female, these should receive 



126 BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. 

their proper local and constitutional treatment; if upon some 
vicious cicatrix, a surgeon's services should be secured, and 
the irritation, from the contracted cicatrix, relieved. 

Sulphur, administered internally, is thought by some to 
prove of benefit, in supplying one of the elements to hair- 
growth to the waning papilla. The yolk of egg, which con- 
tains sulphur and also iron, applied locally, is also of service; 
besides this it is oleaginous, and so supplies this element to a 
harsh-feeling scalp. An iron solution, applied to the hair, will 
also prove of service, as, for instance, the following: 

3$. Ferri citratis (citrate of iron), 3 ij (2 drachms). 
Tr. nucis vomicae, 3 ij (2 drachms). 
01. cocois (cocoa-nut oil), ^iss (1)4 ounces). 
Spr. myrcise (bay rum), | iss (1J^ ounces). 

Gray hair, when the filaments are scattered, should be 
removed by the use of hair-dressing tweezers; as a rule these 
hairs so treated do not return. If the hair is split at the ends, 
or inordinately long, it should be clipped back, and so save the 
drain upon the other parts of the scalp as much as possible. 

But in spite of all treatment hair will turn gray when " old 
age " comes on, though 

" We fain would hide 
This sign — how long with time we've been," 

and so the services of the dyer and dyes, and the professional 
wig-maker will be required to aid those who, though old, would 
still look young. But in a following chapter I will speak of this 
more particularly. It remains but to notice in this one that 
sometimes hair will not turn gray as age advances, as notably 
the case of Mrs. Sally Davis, of Kentucky, who is a venerable 
woman over seventy years of age, and is the possessor of a suit 
of hair that might awaken envy in the breast of many a fair 
maiden of " sweet sixteen." It is soft, brown and silky, with 






BLANCHING, OR TURNING GRAY, OF THE HAIR. 127 

no suspicion of silver among the glistening threads, and it falls 
in luxuriant profusion far below her waist, a marvel to all 
beholders. 

Sometimes, too, gray hair will turn to darker hue without 
the aid of either chemist, or physician. These cases are very- 
rare, still a few have scientific accreditment. 

In the last century (1774) at Vienna, the case of a Mr. Naza- 
rella, aged 105, is recorded, who, at this extreme age, was pre- 
sented with a new set of teeth, and a re-colorization of his 
white hair to the black of youth. 

A John Weeks, as recorded by Wilson, who died at the ripe 
age of 114 years, was also blessed with a rejuvenation of the 
color of his hair some years before his death; the gray giving 
place to the brown hue of youth. Another case, reported by 
Sir John Sinclair, was that of a Scotchman, dying at 110 years 
of age, whose hair, during the latter years of his life was 
restored to its color of youthful days. 

Dr. Richards, of New York city, reports the case of a man 
who has had three changes of his hair from black to white, 
during his life, the first change occurring when about thirty- 
five years of age. 

To the Academy of Medicine, of Paris, there was reported 
by Dr. Bruley, in 1798, the case of a woman, 66 years of age, 
afflicted with phthisis, whose head hair was of a clear, silvery- 
white color, and which color, four days before her death, was 
changed to a jet black; the bulbs are stated to have been dis- 
tended with black pigment, and of unusual size, whilst the 
bulbs of the remaining fair hairs were small and shriveled up. 

In the Encyclopedia Metropolitana is given the case of Susan 
Edmonds, who, when 95 years of age, had her gray hair change 
to black, and then change back to gray again before her death, 
which occurred at 105 years. 



CHAPTER XI. 

TRICHONOSIS DECOLOR 

ABNORMAL COLORATION OF THE HAIR. 

Derivation. From the Greek words rpixoS, meaning, "of the 
hair," and yogoS, disease; also the Latin word decolor, from the 
verb meaning to deprive of color; the whole meaning "a 
decoloring disease of the hair." 

Description. Trichonosis dis (or de~) color is usually given as 
a synonym for canities, described in a previous chapter. I 
have seen fit, however, to limit its meaning to the conditions 
described in this chapter, viz., the chromatogenous changes in 
the hair other than from dark to gray. 

There is a condition of the hair known as " variegated hair," 
which is alternately banded black and white. But three 
or four such cases are on record. One was reported to the 
Royal Society, by Dr. Wilson, in 1867; it was on the person 
of a young lad of some eight years; the hair looked as if it 
were made up of dark shafts finely ringed with white. The seg- 
ment of the hair remaining of normal color (brown) was 
measured, and the band was found to be -^ of an inch in width; 
that of the white, something less than the j^-q of an inch; both 
together measured the ^§- of an inch; that is, there would 
be thirty-six double bands of brown and white in the space 
of a linear inch of the shaft. This alternate banding of the 
hair began to show itself when the child was between two 
and three years of age. There was no apparent diminution of 
the diameter of the hair-cylinder at the white spaces, and the 
perfect decoloration was seen throughout the diameter of 



ABNORMAL COLORATION OF THE HAIR. 129 

the segment. On microscopical examination it was found that 
the brown segments would transmit light, whereas the white 
would not; a closer examination showed the white portions to 
be studded with minute interspaces, which were filled with air (?) 
In the medulla the cellular interspaces were particularly marked. 
The doctor reasons upon the peculiarity in this way: as the 
hair grows more rapidly in day-time than at night, then the 
brown segments must represent day-growth, and the white seg- 
ments night-growth. As hair usually grows but from the -^ 
to the -^ of an inch in a day (24 hours) we shall have to assume 
a more than usual rapidity of growth in this case, in order 
to meet the doctor's argument — not a very specious one at its 
best. 

A similar specimen of alternate marking of the hair is also 
preserved in the museum attached to St. Bartholomew's Hos- 
pital, London; Dr. Wilson's is kept in the Hunterian museum, 
attached to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of 
England. Professors Schultze and Baum have each described a 
case, and Dr. Landois has also written a report upon a similar 
case which he has seen. 

It is not so very unusual, after a fit of sickness which occa- 
sions the loss of hair, to have the new crop come in of a differ- 
ent hue, as well as of different texture; heads that formerly 
grew rather coarse, straight hair, sometimes present a secondary 
growth of hair of a curling tendency, or of smaller shaft. But, 
a few cases are on record where, without the intervention of 
sickness to occasion the loss of hair, the color has been changed; 
thus a prolonged stay in a hot or tropical climate may change 
the color, as well as the texture of the hair. A case is related 
by Bogue of a young gentleman, possessing a fine head of 
brown hair, going to Samatra for a few years when, on his 
return, his friends found it difficult to recognize him, as the 



130 ABNORMAL COLORATION OF THE HAIR. 

brown hair of his head was replaced by that of a positive red 
color. Travelers long exposed to the dry atmosphere and 
scorching sun of Egypt, remark upon its peculiar stiffening 
influence upon the hair. 

Villerme gives a case of a young lady, thirteen years of age, 
who lost her head-hair; some months after a woolly product 
was grown from a part of the head, and brown hair from 
another part; after a time a part of both faded into gray, and 
some fell out, leaving a sad condition of affairs — a part being 
white and a part brown. It is impossible to account for any 
such freak as this. 

Somewhat analogous to it is the case of the Philadelphia 
negro, whose hair had changed from the characteristic woolli- 
ness of his race to that of the European, in both texture and 
color, and who, therefore, had the honor of being introduced 
to Washington. 

The American Journal of Pharmacy gives a case where,, 
after death, a head of red hair changed, in the course of a few 
hours, to a blonde, and, within thirty hours, finally to a gray 
color. 

As a change after illness, Alibert gives a case where red hair 
took the place of dark brown; another case where jet black 
hah* took the place of brown; but he neglects* to specify 
whether the k original hair was first shed, or whether the change 
was affected in the coloring matter of each shaft as it grew 
from the follicle. 

Dr. Isoard speaks of a deaf mute, seventeen years of age, 
a female, who experiences a change from a beautiful blonde head 
of hair to a dusky red, after each attack of fever that she is 
subject to. After the abatement of the fever the hair becomes 
gradually restored to its normal color. 

Green and blue hair have been described by some authorities, 



ABNORMAL COLORATION OF THE HAIR. 131 

but these colors owe their production to the influence of the 
surroundings in which their subjects live; the green hair belong- 
ing to those who work in copper mines; and blue, to those whose 
occupation is cobalt mining. Workers in indigo, also, have 
blue hair. These colors are, of course, but on the outside of 
the shaft, and are, generally, easily removed by the free use of 
water. In Tripoli and Turkey it is said to be customary for 
ladies to paint the hair of their children a vermilion color. 

Treatment. There is but little that can be said under this 
head, as usually but little can be done; indeed, in many cases 
nothing is really so desired, as the victim of the chromato- 
genous change is usually well enough pleased with the color of 
his dress. Of course, where the change of color is clearly 
traced to the exposure incident to one's occupation, a change of 
labor, with proper cleanliness, will be sufficient to restore the 
hair to its normal color. The ordinary treatment for stimulat- 
ing the hair follicles, as recommended in the chapters on 
Alopecia and Canities, would also be in order. 



CHAPTER XII. 

ALOPECIA. 

BALDNESS. 

Synonyms. Trichorrea, Defluvium capillorum, Porrigo decalvans, Ophiasis, Athrix, 
Calvities. 

Derivation. Fi;om the Greek word a\G07trj% meaning a fox; 
so termed because the ancients noticed that foxes generally had 
bare spots upon the skin, due, of course, to the " mange " with 
which they were afflicted. 

History. From all time the human race has been afflicted 
with baldness, and it has always been looked upon as a scourge. 
Isaiah, 760 B. C, prophesied this calamity upon the daughters 
of Zion because of their iniquity (Isaiah, iii, 16-24), for instead 
of well set hair, baldness " was to come upon them, and a scab 
upon the crowns of their heads." Among this nation, the 
Hebrews, baldness was considered a reproach, and a person so 
afflicted w T as incapacitated for the priesthood; yet Elisha was 
bald (901 B. C, when called by Elijah), though a young man, 
for we read of the destruction (2d Kings, ii, 24) of the forty- 
two children for calling him the baldhead; this was 896 years 
before Christ. 

Moses, 1490 B. C, in writing of this (Lev. xiii, 40, 41) says: 
" The man whose hair is fallen off his head is bald, and yet is 
he clean; and he that hath the hair fallen off from the part of 
his head towards his face, he is forehead bald; yet is he clean; " 
thus plainly intimating that baldness was apt to be classed with 
uncleanliness (leprosy). », 

The ancient paintings and sculptures at Thebes also give us 



BALDNESS. 133 

accounts of bald-headed individuals, although Herodotus plainly 
states that the Egyptians were never bald. Wilkinson, in his 
book upon the discoveries among the ruins of ancient Egypt, 
gives a transcript of a deed — for the Egyptians were always very 
careful to furnish a lengthy genealogy, and minute description of 
the contracting parties, as well as witnesses, when making out 
a conveyance of property — and which reads as follows : 
" Pamonthes, aged about forty-five, of middle size, dark com- 
plexion and handsome figure, bald, round-faced and straight- 
nosed," etc., etc. It was in the time of Cleopatra Cocce and 
Ptolemy Alexander I. that this was written; hence, you see, 
Herodotus was a little hasty in his conclusions. As a rule, 
though, the ancient Egyptians were possessors of much hair, 
although the males kept it pretty closely trimmed. 

The god of medicine, iEsculapius, and the father of medi- 
cine, Hippocrates, are represented as bald-headed individuals; 
and so far is the mistaken notion, that age necessarily denotes 
medical learning, now carried, that gray hairs, or the lack of 
hair at the top of the head, in a young medical man, is consid- 
ered a pretty good fortune for him to begin on. 

The disease was so well recognized by the ancients that 
Aristotle (384 B. C.) and Croesus both use the term at the head- 
ing of this chapter for describing the complaint; it was then a 
term in common use. 

Among the other noted Greek writers there is the sarcastic 
poet, Aristophanes, who alludes to himself, in his writings, as 
the " bald head," " the most noble of poets with a shining fore- 
head," etc.; no lack of arrogance there, you see. Then the 
great tragedy writer, iEschylus, who, in 456 B. C, came to his 
end by the blundering, so tradition informs us, of an eagle, 
which mistook the top of his bald head for a rock, and so 
dashed its prey, a turtle, upon it in order to break its hard 

I 



134 BALDNESS. 

encasement so that it could be eaten. It is needless to say 
what the result was to the man, and the undoubted surprise to 
the eagle. Then there was the noted sculptor, Phidias (480 
B. C), who was prohibited from putting his name upon his 
master-piece, the Athenian Minerva, and so sculptured himself 
upon this and other statues as an old, bald-headed man. Time 
has taken care of both his handiwork, his name, and his likeness, 
so that all have come down to us; the latter would probably 
have been unknown were it not for this foolish edict of the 
Greeks. Then the Salenites, a college of priests at Rome, 
instituted in honor of the god Mars, 709 B. C, thought bald- 
ness was a type of beauty, and so sought in various ways to 
obtain it; and the Roman Catholic clergy seem to have con- 
tinued it to this day. Another good soul, in later times, 
probably a bald head, took occasion to write a book proving 
that baldness was a virtue; the title of the book ran thus: 
" A Parodoxe; Proving by Reason and Example that Baldnesse 
is much better than Bushie Haire." This was in 1759. The 
gentleman's name was Abraham Fleming; he claimed it was 
but a translation ("Englished") from Syresius, Bishop of 
Thebes. This is quite possible, as the clergy have, in by-gone 
years, fulminated and canonaded long hair, till it would seem 
that there would be little left but baldness anywhere. But 
of this in another chapter. Then there is the great Roman 
general, M. Aurelius Carus (A. D. 282), who was so bald that 
when the Persians sent ambassadors to his camp, seeking favor- 
able treaty, he replied to them, doffing his head-covering at 
the time, that if they did not submit at once, he would make 
their country as bare of trees and corn as his own head was of 
hair. 

But probably the best plea ever uttered in behalf of baldness 
was made by the stoic philosopher, Zeno (B. C, 363), when he 



A BALD-HEADED RACE. 135 

prevailed upon his brother Carthagenian philosopher, Herillus, 
to shave his pate, in order that by so doing he might disgust 
his followers, and so save himself from being like a comet, — 
with a tail of admirers. 

A BALD-HEADED RACE. 

The Sidney Mnpire, February 9th, 1862, of Australia, gives 
this account of a race of bald men discovered in the interior 
of the continent, one of whom, from beyond the Balonne 
river, in company with the explorer, Mr. M'Kay, visited the 
Empires office. The individual was a young man of some 
seventeen years, although he looked older; there was not a 
hair upon his head, neither .was there a trace of hirsutic 
growth upon his body. There was a black, ingrained look to 
the scalp, as if the roots of the hair remained; but Mr. M'Kay 
averred this was merely the result of a dirty cloth he was used 
to wearing on his head, as, when washed, it was as smooth as a 
billiard ball. The whole contour of the face, form of the 
head, expression, color of the skin, and listless, almost sullen 
attitude proclaimed him plainly enough as one of a Mongolian 
race. He was wanting the thick lips, large and rapid eyes, 
broad-spread nose and deep brown skin of the native Australian. 
His skin was a yellow-brown, as if a mixture of the Mongolian 
and Australian element. Mr. M'Kay had seen over a half 
dozen of the tribe, one of which was a woman, and all bore 
the same characteristics, save a little greater height in stature. 
It had long been a common report in Sidney, that an aboriginal 
race of bald-headed individuals existed in the western interior; 
but this was the first that any had been seen of them in 
the city. It is supposed that his race are the result of the 
union of Mongolian fishermen or sailors, who got shipwrecked 
upon the Australian coast many years before, with the aborigi- 



136 THE THREE VARIETIES OF BALDNESS. 

nal Australians; hence the beardless, hairless progeny now 
seen. 

Description. The subject proper is divisible into three gen- 
eral heads: 

I. Alopecia Vulgaris, or the ordinary progressive and gen- 
eral thinning of the hair. 

II. Alopecia Circumscripta, or circumscribed baldness. 

III. Alopecia Senilis, or senile baldness (calvities, as it is 
generally called). 

Besides these three general classes there are the following 
subheads, useful only for classification or description, and 
have been in use for centuries: 

Madesis, or Maderosis, from the Greek verb /j-adaoo, sec- 
ondary meaning, " I am bald; " it is used to denote a transient 
loss of hair, speedily followed by a new growth of downy hairs. 

Anaphalacrosis, from the Greek ava, having the adverbial 
meaning of backwards; and (paXaxpcoGiS, baldness; it is used 
to denote baldness beginning at the forehead and extending 
back to the crown. 

Phalacrosis, from the Greek cpakanpGOGiS meaning baldness, 
and derived from cpaXoZ, the upper portion of the helmet. 
The term is used to denote baldness beginning at the crown. 

Hemiphalacrosis, from the Greek (paXaxpaoffi? meaning as 
above; and r/piira meaning the half, or the half of the head; 
and the term is used to denote baldness of one side of the 
head. 

Opisthophalacrosis from the Greek words omaQe and 
cpaXanpoDGiS meaning, respectively, behind or back, and bald- 
ness; and the whole used to denote baldness beginning at the 
occiput, or back of the head. 

Ophiasis, from the Greek cxpiaGiZ, meaning a bald place, 
of serpentine form, at the back of the head; it is used to denote 



BALDNESS. 137 

baldness extending in serpentine lines from the occiput to the 
ears. 

Atrichia, from the Greek a primitive, meaning without, and 
QpiB, hair, is a term used to denote the absence or deficiency 
of hair from the whole body, or from parts of it. In man this 
is not a usual condition of affairs; though the author has seen 
one case where there was entire absence of hair from the whole 
body; it was in a middle-aged man. The party had had a full 
head of hair until six or seven years of age, when he was taken 
with a severe fever, remaining out of his head for a long period 
of time. When he recovered, his hair began to come out in 
patches all over his scalp. Remedies were tried in vain to 
induce a new growth, and before he reached the age of sixteen 
his scalp was completely bald. When eighteen years of age, 
being then in India, he was again taken with fever; when 
he recovered from this his eyebrows, and the hair upon his 
arms, legs and body began to come out, and to this day (he is 
now about forty-five years of age) there has not since been a 
vestige of hair-growth. There has been nothing of the kind 
in his family, and his children (three in number) have as fine 
heads of hair as is usually seen upon persons of their age. 

Cottle gives a case of a family of four sons and five daughters, 
that were otherwise healthy and well developed, where, hir- 
sutically, they were arranged thus: The 1st, a boy, had nor- 
mal hair and in abundance; the 2d, a boy with woolly hair; the 
3d, a boy with woolly hair; the 4th, a girl, completely hairless ; 
the 5th, a girl with woolly hair; the 6th, a girl with normal 
hair development; the 7th, a girl with woolly hair; the 8th, a 
boy with normal hair in normal quantity; the 9th, a girl with 
scant woolly hair. The woolly hair in all these cases was short 
and extremely fine. The parents had normal hair, and the 



138 ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 

children, having reached middle age and married, have not 
transmitted their peculiarities to their offspring. 

In some instances, from disease, there will be a total loss of 
hair, but these cases will be spoken of under another head in 
this chapter. The term Atrichia should be limited to the con- 
genital want of hair, in its application. Some races of animals 
are particularly noted for the wanting of hair upon their bodies, 
as the Mexican dogs, also the African dogs and hogs, and 
a species of horse found in Little Thibet. This last is quite 
remarkable, as, usually, hairless animals are dwellers in tropical 
regions. No hair follicles are found in the skins of these ani- 
mals. 

Sometimes, after a few years of this absence of hair, the 
follicles will produce a few fine, stunted hairs over the bald 
places; the condition of affairs is then known as Oligotrichia, 
from the Greek words oAiyoS and dpi^, genitive form rpz^o?, 
meaning, respectively, " fewness," and " of the hair." 

It is said that this congenital lacking of hair occurs con- 
jointly with a lacking of proper dental development. This, 
contrasted with the fact that the teeth are either poorly or 
latently developed in the cases of polytrichia, or individuals 
covered with hair, would also seem a little singular. There is, 
no doubt, an intimate connection between the growth of the 
hair and the teeth; but why the result should be exactly the 
same under such opposite conditions, as regards the teeth, is 
yet unknown to physiologists. 

I. Alopecia Vulgaris. 

Description. This is the form of hair-loss seen, usually, in 
young adults, or those just reaching middle age; if in the aged, 
it may occur in those whose hair has not previously turned 



ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 139 

gray; if turned gray the loss of hair would come under another 
head, that of Senile Alopecia, which is described further on. 

As a rule, the light-haired individuals, from the fact that 
their hairs are finer, and hence more numerous to the square 
inch of surface, are more prone to the loss of their head-cover- 
ing than dark-haired persons. 

The hair usually begins to come out on the combing or 
brushing of it; finally, it will be found on the clothing in 
quite free quantities, showing there is pretty free involvement 
of the follicles of the scalp. _ It is generally of the phalacrosis 
variety ; it is usually seen in our busy, young business-men, or 
in an overtaxed mother, or in a young lady of delicate constitu- 
tion. The reason that ladies are not more generally subject to 
this annoyance is, undoubtedly, owing to the physiological fact 
that their bodies are less freely supplied with hair, and hence 
there is more hair-forming material furnished the scalp than in 
men. Another reason is that they are less subject to business 
worry, and do not heat their heads up continually with hats 
devoid of ventilation; the air gets more freely about the scalp 
and the roots of a woman's hair than man's, from the fact that 
they less frequently cover their heads. 

As a rule, a bald-headed father transmits his peculiarity only 
to his male offspring; whereas women, so afflicted, rarely trans- 
mit hairless tendencies, though they do other bodily malforma- 
tions, to their offspring. It is also a noteworthy fact, too, that 
the tendency to baldness develops earlier in the life of each 
succeeding generation than the one preceding; thus, if the 
father was bald at thirty-six, the son will be pretty sure to be 
so at thirty-four, and so on. 

Pinkus, in Virchow's Archives, has paid this subject minute 
attention. He divides hair into two groups; 1st, the Spitz- 
haare, or that which is pointed, and has not been cut / this does 



140 ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 

not exceed two inches in length. Such hairs are of slow growth, 
and remain from four to nine months, and are usually found 
at the scalp-borders. 2d, The Scheeren-haare, or that which has 
been cut (represented by the long hair of women), and which 
usually remains in the follicles from two to four years, that 
being the average life-time. ISTow, a ratio of daily loss of 
the Spitzhaare, compared with the Scheeren-haare, of from 
one to eight, is abnormal when the average length of the 
head hair is five inches; hence, by counting the hairs combed 
or brushed out daily, and separating the Spitzhaare from the 
Seheeren-Jiaare you can get the amount of capillary defluvium 
present, in a given case, and can, by comparing the two kinds 
of hair, know whether the defluvium is in excess of normal. 
In a case where the fallen hairs were counted for eight days, it 
was found that from the healthy side of the head 108 were 
lost; on the diseased portion, 227 came out in the same time; 
on the healthy side the portion of Spitzhaare was one to four; 
on the diseased side, as one to one. Furthermore, it will be 
found in Alopecia Vulgaris, that the hairs, as regards their 
diameters, decrease in size; also that the skin becomes paler, 
and apparently of less thickness. 

Causes. These are multitudinous. Sometimes it may be 
owing to abuse in dressing the hair, as crimping it too tightly, 
burning it with curling irons, or the use of irritating coloring 
matters, and the like; or it may be due to the " old age" of 
the hair itself; for hair, as well as man, has its time of ripen- 
ing, age, and death. When it becomes fully developed, and its 
life matured, it becomes contracted just above the bulb, and 
falls out; the life germ, of course, remaining to fill the emptied 
follicle with a new hair at no distant time. Among the more 
usual exciting causes can be mentioned disease, enervating habits, 
mental worry, and loss of normal nerve nutrition. The worry of 



ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 141 

the accountant over his books, the merchant over his sales, the 
lawyer over his cases, the physician over his practice, the min- 
ister over his charge, all these are prominent factors in the 
cause of Alopecia Vulgaris. The reason is that there is not 
sufficient blood brought to the papilla of the hair-shaft, and 
hence the cell formation, at the root of the hair, is not rapid 
enough to keep the hair follicle properly distended, so as it can 
perform its proper office of moulding the cells to the formation 
of a proper shaft; hence, at this interval, whether marked by 
ill-health or not, the follicle, through its circulary compressing 
fibres, strangles, or cuts in two, the mass of soft hair-cells, just 
forming into a hair-shaft, and the hair falls out as the result. 
Often there is a little bulb seen at the end of the hair, after it 
has been subjected to this choking off process; this has led 
some observers to say that the root has been thrown out; but 
this is not the case; were it so, then there would be no regrowth 
of the hair, for when the root is once destroyed, hair-life can 
never be regenerated in that follicle. (See page 25.) 

The loss of hair following fevers, and other debilitating dis- 
eases, takes place in much the same manner; and as the result 
of the weakened state of the forming papillae, the regrowth is 
apt to be of different color or shape; after a time, though, 
when the hair-forming organs regain their usual vigor, the 
normal color is usually wont to return. 

Loss of hair, through head neuralgias, as is common to many 
of our ladies, is in the same manner. The proper amount of 
blood is not carried to the new cell-forming papilla, it is also 
vitiated, and the nervous excitement, indicated by pain, causes 
a reflex contraction of the skin about the follicle, and hence the 
hair is girdled, and so falls out. Doubtless the change in color 
of the hair, through excitement, occurs from the same cause. 
When the excitement is calmed a normal blood circulation and 



142 ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 

nerve action ensues, hence the normal color-cells are secreted in 
their normal abundance, and, as a result, the color is restored. I 
believe the physiological action of the two to be similar, differ- 
ing only in degree; if continued long enough, loss of hair would 
be the result. I have a patient under care now, a young married 
lady, with uterine disease, where the hair becomes very gray on 
the second morning following an attack of this head pain — at 
the top of the head — but in a day or two returns to its normal 
color (brown). If the pain were continued long enough I doubt 
not that the final result would be local baldness, through the 
malnutrition of the follicles. In proof of this I cite the follow- 
ing case: 

Nayler gives an instance of a lady, in middle age, suffering 
from headaches, radiating from the temple to the crown, who 
had a total loss of hair over the seat of pain. In six months, 
after the neuralgia was cured, the hair grew rapidly again, 
though it was white in color; this gradually changed, however, 
to its normal hue. 

Syphilis is also a well-known cause for the loss of hair, though 
it is not the common cause, as is often asserted. For centuries 
the loss of hair following this disease was not noticed; thus, 
Brassa (1533) writes that " venereal symptoms have been 
observed which render it doubtful whether the disease is 
declining, or whether it has changed its character. The first 
of these symptoms is the falling off of the hair. One cannot 
help laughing at seeing men without beards, eyebrows or eye- 
lashes." 

Francastor (Venice, 1546) writes this concerning the loss of 
hair in syphilis: " A circumstance which has astonished every- 
body is the falling off of the hair of the head and of the 
body," and yet syphilis had been known over a thousand years 
before Francastor's time. 



ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 143 

The great anatomist, Fallopius (after whom the Fallopian 
tubes are named), writing in 1574 says: "During the last forty 
years there was no falling out of the hair; but it commenced 
about thirty years ago," that is about the year 1544. 

In syphilitic alopecia the hair begins to come out over the 
temporal regions, afterwards upon other parts of the body, if 
the system is pretty thoroughly under the constitutional influ- 
ence of the poison. The condition of the hair bulbs, if exam- 
ined, will be similar to that previously given in this chapter; 
sometimes you will find, in addition to the narrowing of the 
intra-follicular portion of the shaft, a deposit of fatty, granular 
matter about the bulbous portion ; this is mostly fatty detritus, 
from the broken down epithelium of the follicle, and the new- 
forming, but unhealthy, hair-cells. Of course the use of a 
microscope is needed to make such a minute examination, for 
to the unaided eye nothing abnormal may be detected. 

Parturient women are another class prone to attacks of 
alopecia; and I have very frequently seen such losses of hair 
occur concomitantly with an ulcerated or inflamed uterus. The 
headaches, of neuralgic character, probably have much to do 
with the loss of hair in these subjects, for headache, especially 
that of a heavy burning weight, though sometimes of a throb- 
bing character, at the top of the head, or at the back of the 
head and neck, is almost a constant accompaniment of an 
irritated uterus; in fact, a pain here, of the character indicated, 
is a pathognomonic sign of uterine disease. After the uterine 
irritation was cured, the headaches have ceased, and, conse- 
quently, the hair has returned. The hair is apt to be dry in 
these cases, the ends to split up, and the scalp to be scurvy, all 
owing to the faulty nervous action in the parts; for with per- 
verted nervous action you can never expect a proper blood 
supply to any part of the body. The hairs, then, are literally 



144 BALDNESS. 

starved, by a slow process to be sure, and hence drop out, or 
become stunted, rough and brittle in their growth. 

Dr. Douglass, of this city, gives me this brief history of two 
such cases: "The first, Mrs. D., aged 28; mother of four chil- 
dren; usually healthy; has always menstruated regularly and 
easily; she also has short and easy labors. From childhood she 
was subject to itching spots upon the head, followed by com- 
plete loss of hair in these places. It grew in again, sometimes 
lighter in color, but returned to its original color subsequently. 
When her first child was born she had a full head of hair, but 
three months afterwards lost it all; and it has never returned, 
now seven years, except in small tufts of dark-colored hair upon 
the top of her head. The balance of the scalp is entirely bare. 

" The other case is that of Mrs. F., married, aged 34; mother 
of one child, aged seven months. Previous to marriage, which 
took place seven months before her child was born, she held a 
good position, in a very wealthy family, as cook. He attended 
her in an easy, short labor, but was much struck at the great 
mental distress she evinced from her child being born two 
months sooner than the neighbors expected. She felt her posi- 
tion acutely, and expressed to him, though a stranger to her, 
her extreme anguish. She continued to fret about her shame, 
and, in three months from her labor, she lost every hair from 
her head. When he examined her at six months from labor, she 
had a fine crop of snow-white hair, about half an inch long, upon 
the scalp. Previously her hair was very thick, long and dark- 
colored. Her eyebrows and lashes have also nearly disap- 
peared, and, where returning, are pure white and very fine. 
She is a large, healthy woman, and has always enjoyed the 
best of health." This is somewhat similar to the case given at 
the bottom of page 119. 

Heart disease, or aortic disease, is another cause of this 



ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 145 

variety of alopecia. The physiological reason is clear enough, 
as the proper blood supply is interfered with; in fact, the whole 
system suffers. It has also been noticed that the nails, organs 
in every way similar to the hair, have been shed after the plug- 
ging of the brachial artery by an embolus; it is also reasonable 
to suppose the hair would have been similarly lost, had any of 
the scalp arteries been similarly stopped, unless collateral circu- 
lation had been quite thoroughly established. This would have 
resulted in local or circumscribed baldness, and which will be 
more thoroughly treated of in the following section. 

Violent grief, fear, or other nervous excitement, may also pro- 
duce a loss of hair. The change of color to gray is undoubtedly 
the first step in this process. 

Nerve injuries, as by gunshot or sabre wounds, are also other 
causes for the loss of hair from the parts to which the nerves are 
distributed. Indeed, Von Barensprung regards alopecia as a 
nervous lesion. 

In a case reported of concussion of the brain, following a 
railroad injury, where there were some hemiplegic convulsions 
and delirium for some six weeks, and for a year or so there- 
after a persistent headache, the patient suddenly, one morning 
when shaving, had his beard fall out; this was soon afterward 
followed by the total loss of hair from his head, chest and body. 
Yoigt has also shown that the loss of hair in old persons 
follows a general order or route, keeping closely upon the 
track of the distribution of certain of the cutaneous nerves. 
Steinruch has also shown, by experiments upon rabbits, that 
when the ischiatic nerve is severed, no growth of hair takes 
place upon that limb. Ravaton gives a case of amaurosis of 
one eye, from concussion of the head, followed by a total loss 
of hair upon that side of the head. 

A curious case of complete alopecia is reported in the Gazette 



146 ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 

des Hopitaux. A girl, aged seventeen, who bad always enjoyed 
good health, had one day a narrow escape from being crushed, 
by a floor giving way beneath her. She was very much fright- 
ened, and the same night began to complain of headache and 
chills. The next morning she felt restless, and had irritation of 
the scalp. During the following day she steadily improved, 
with the exception of the irritation. Afterwards, when comb- 
ing her hair, she noticed that it came out in great quantities. 
Five days later she had lost all her hair. Her general health 
was good. The patient remained bald, and was still so when 
seen, two years later, by the reporter. 

An English officer, aged thirty-six, healthy in other ways, 
fell a victim to sunstroke in India, and shortly after an attack 
of slight cold, he lost his beard, eyebrows, eyelashes and hair; 
the skin of the body becoming almost transparent. 

After lightning-stroke the hair is apt to be shed. Bouden 
relates an instance where a vessel was struck, and the captain, 
M. Rihouet, was severely injured therefrom at the time. The 
next day, when he went to shave, his beard all came out, instead 
of being cut off by the razor, and never returned. Soon the 
hair of the scalp followed, then the eyebrows, eyelashes, and 
the hair from the rest of the body; the following year the 
nails from the fingers were shed, though those on the toes were 
not affected. Sir Benj. Brodie gives an instance of two bul- 
locks, spotted white and red, that were struck by lightning, in 
different storms; and it is remarkable that in both cases the red 
haired spots escaped injury whilst the white hairs were all con- 
sumed (see page 114). Possibly, to this same fact, as recorded 
on pages 113 and 114, this old jangle owes its origin: 
If a horse have 

" One white foot, buy him; 
Two white feet, try him ; 
Three white feet, deny him; 
Four white feet, and a white nose, 
Take off his hide, and throw him to the crows." 



ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 147 

Treatment. This is as varied as the causes are various. Yet, 
as the thinning of the hah* follows a more or less vitiated con- 
stitution, the first thing to be done is to build that up by tonics, 
the most important of which are the ferruginous preparations. 
The circulation in the scalp has become sluggish, hence this 
is to be stimulated; and the hair, what is left, must be put 
under strict hygienic relations, for which see chapter upon that 
subject. When the tendency to early baldness is found to be 
inherited, it will be less amenable to treatment than any of the 
other forms of this variety of alopecia, and our prognosis should 
be rendered accordingly. 

If it is found that the loss is dependent upon syphilis, this 
should at once be treated constitutionally, and the treatment 
be kept up for six months or a year. This should only be 
attempted under the supervision of a competent physician. 
Proper local stimulants should also be applied to the scalp, 
using some one of those given further on, or something similar 
to them; this done, a full return of hair can be expected in a 
few months. 

If alopecia follows a fever, proper local treatment will gen- 
erally, with tonics internally, prove successful in inducing a new 
growth, as the hair papillae, except in ulcerative skin troubles, 
are not destroyed. So, too, as regards a loss of hair from 
uterine troubles; if these are relieved, then the hair will soon 
fill the follicles with a new, and oftentimes, a more vigorous 
growth. 

As regards a loss following nerve injuries, or shock, as those 
cases detailed on page 145, not much hope can be entertained 
for a new growth. Still, treatment might be attempted. 

Coming now to the more general class, as those who have 
no special disease, or lesion, except a gradual failing of the 
systemic powers, and where the hair comes out freely on brush- 



148 ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 

ing or combing,' I would offer the following as a proper line of 
treatment: If you are an accountant, take fewer hours at your 
desk, more in the open air; the hair makes a good barometer 
(in truth, aneroid barometers are made from hair) for the state 
of health, as well as of the atmosphere, and when you thus find 
it being progressively shed, look carefully to your occupation, 
to see if that is not the cause. If you are indoors a great 
deal, get in warmer friendship with your gun, rod and line, and 
horse, or even take a relaxation trip. Don't wear your hat in 
the counting-room, or store; go bare-headed as much as you 
can, and have your hat a ventilated one. If you are using 
tobacco excessively, put the breaks on there; be temperate in 
all things, and above all secure a good night's rest; court sleep, 

"Tired nature's sweet restorer 
That knits up the unraveled sleeve of care." 

There is nothing like good, sound sleep to recuperate the 
nervous system, for this is the system that is first out of order 
when the hair begins to fall. Leave your figures in your office; 
don't take them to bed with you to dream over; or if you are 
an inventor, or writer, don't make your bed-room your study- 
room, or your meal-time a convenient time for straightening 
out that kink, plot, or ledger discrepancy. Take three full hours 
every day to eat your breakfast, dinner and supper in, and a mile 
walk after each,' if possible. All this done, and if yet you feel 
tired and exhausted, go to some physician who will look your 
case over for you, and see what organs are still at fault. The 
bowels should be kept regular, and for this purpose there is no 
remedy less harmless, or more to be depended on, than one of 
the Rhamni, thus: 

1$. Fl. ext. rhamni Purshianaa (cascara sagrada), vel (or) 

FU ext. rhamni frangulae (buckthorn bark), § ij (2 ounces). 

Syrupi simp, (simple syrup), 

Aq. cinnamomi (cinnamon water), aa. (of each) 1 j (1 ounce). 

M, S. Dessertspoonful before breakfast, or three times a day if necessary. 



ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 149 

Instead of this, oil, epsom salts, rhubarb, seltzer or Hunyadi 
water might be employed. As tonics, Peruvian bark and iron 
are among the best. The following is a very common pre- 
scription with me: 

R\ Tr. cinchonae comp. (compound tr. cinchona), |ij (2 ounces). 
Ferri citratis (citrate of iron), 3 hj (3 drachms). 
Tr. nucis vomicae (tr. nux vomica), 3 iss {1)4 drachms). 
Vim Xerici (sherry wine), \ iij (3 ounces). 

M. Teaspoonful one-half an hour after meals. 

Besides, the head should be kept in as cleanly and hygienic 
condition as possible; for this read the chapters upon Dandruff, 
Seborrhoea and Hygiene of the hair. 

Among the many local applications that could be given, the 
following I have found to prove of great value: 

R. Tr. cantharidis (tr. Spanish fly), 3 ij (2 drachms). 
Tr. nucis vomicae (tr. nux vomica), § ss (^ ounce). 
Tr. capsici (tr. capsicum), 3 j (1 drachm). 
01. ricini (castor oil), 1 iss (1^£ ounces). ■ 
Aq. cologniensis (cologne water), § ij (2 ounces). 

M. S. . Liniment. To be applied with a piece of sponge, night and morning, 
after brushing the hair. 

If the oil is an objectionable feature, as it is with some, bay 
rum (spr. myrciaB) may be substituted. Cocoa oil and coco- 
oleine also make good substitutes. 

A preparation of arsenic, given internally, is also of great 
benefit in most of these cases. It should not, however, be pre- 
scribed indiscriminately. The following makes a very eligible 
mixture, combining all other tonics with it: 

R. Liq. potassii arsenitis (Fowler's solution), 3 iss (1}4 drachms). 
Ferri citratis (citrate of iron), 3 ij (2 drachms). 
Tr. nucis vomicae (tr. nux vomica), 3 j (1 drachm). 
Tr. cinchonae comp., q. s. ad f iv (enough to make 4 ounces).. 

M. S. Teaspoonful three times a day, after meals. 

The following, recommended by Tilbury Fox, is an excellent 
application for the scalp, though a little strong: 



150 ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 

R\ Tr. cantharidis (tr. Spanish fly), 1 j (1 ounce). 
Aceti destil. (distilled vinegar), § iss (1^ ounces). 
Glycerini (glycerine), 1 iss (1]4 ounces). 
Spr. rosmarini (spirits rosemary), 5 iss (1V£ ounces). 
Aquae rosae (rose water), q. s. ad § viij (enough to make 8 ounces). 

M. S. Lotion. To be well rubbed into the scalp, night and morning. 

Prof. Erasmus Wilson recommends the following: 

R\ Lq. ammonias (spr. hartshorn), 
Chloroformi, 

Ol. amygdalae dulcis (sweet almond oil), aa. (of each) 1 j (1 ounce). 
Spr. rosmarini (spr. rosemary), 5 v (5 ounces). 

This is to be rubbed into the roots of the hair, after brushing 
the scalp. Undoubtedly it is too strong for most scalps, and 
it will need to be diluted about one-half, before applying. 
Cologne water, or rose water, may be used for this purpose. 

Dr. Pincus suggests the following treatment in the first 
stage, of premature baldness. (This stage is recognized by a 
daily loss of under fifty hairs, by diminished sensibility to 
pressure, and, after a time, by commencing hardness and immo- 
bility of the scalp) : a solution of caustic potash, one part to 
five hundred of water, or fifteen grains of the bicarbonate of 
potash to an ounce of water. Two or three drachms of this 
solution is to be rubbed into the scalp from three to five 
minutes daily. After a time this may be done every other day, 
and then only once a week. If this is continued for a year or 
more, he avers, the baldness is arrested, and, in some cases, the 
lost hair is fully restored. 

Or the following is also a useful lotion: 

R\ Liq. ammonii acetatis (spr. Mindererus), § ij (2 ounces). 
Ammonii carb. (carbonate of ammonia), 3 ss (}4 drachm). 
Glycerini (glycerine), 1 ss {% ounce). 
01. ricini (castor oil), 1 ss (J^ ounce). 
Spr. myrciae (bay rum), I v (5 ounces). 

M. S. Lotion. Apply to roots of the hair, night and morning, with sponge, 
after brushing thoroughly. 



BALDXESS. 151 

The following is also another very good lotion: 

R. Tr. iodinii comp. (compound tr. iodine), 3 ij (2 drachms). 
Tr. cantharidis (tr. Spanish fly), 3 ij (2 drachms). 
Spir. myrciae (bay rum), § iss (1^ ounces). 
Aq. cologniensis (cologne water), § ij (2 ounces). 

M. S. Apply to the bald portion of the scalp twice a day. 

Pomades are sometimes ordered, but I do not like these, as a 
rule, as they mat the hair together more than lotions, and make 
it too greasy for the comfort of the user. Still, the following, 
when these features are not objectionable, will be very useful: 

B. Tr. iodinii (tr. iodine), 3 ij (2 drachms). 

Pulv. cantharidis (powdered Spanish fly), 3 ss Q4 drachm). 
Acidi tannici (tannic acid), 3 j (1 drachm). 
01. bergami (oil bergamont), gtts. xx (20 drops). 
Vaselini (vaseline), I ij (2 ounces). 

M. S. Apply to the head night and morning 

In oriental countries falling out of hair is prevented by the 
use of an ointment consisting of the bruised fresh bulbs of 
Asphodelus bulbosus, or of garlic, mixed with gunpowder. An 
infusion of the small leaves of the lemon or orange tree, in 
red wine, has likewise proved serviceable, about twenty grains 
of tannin having been added to the quart of this aromatic wine. 

What has been said regarding the medical treatment of 
alopecia in men, is equally applicable to the cases occurring in 
the opposite sex. Ladies, however, must forego the use of 
the crimping pins and curling iron, as well the use of bleach- 
ing or coloring agents. The hair should be done up loosely 
or suffered to hang down undressed. As the Manillians have 
the longest, blackest and most glossy hair of any nationality, 
and do not bind or curl it tightly to the head, but allow 
it to fall back behind, in its own natural looseness, it follows, 
then, if our ladies would wish to preserve their hair as long 
as possible, that they should imitate the Manillians in this 



152 ALOPECIA VULGARIS. 

custom. The tonic systemic treatment is just as necessary 
in their cases as in the cases of men, and the preceding 
formula?, are as good as any. Out-door exercise should also 
be regularly taken; if family cares are crowding too closely 
upon them, a trip to the sea-side will be beneficial. Worrying 
or fretting over any matter only makes the fall of the hair 
worse, hence all this should be avoided as much as possible. 
Good, healthy, plain food only should be taken; eating of sweet- 
meats, late hours at the ball-room, and kindred enervating 
practices, should be abandoned, and a stay of eight hours in 
bed be taken each night, till the system becomes recuperated. 
In cleansing the head and hair, as it should be done every week 
or ten days, in summer time, less often in winter, there is 
nothing better than the yolk of an egg, beaten up in a little 
water, and rubbed thoroughly over the scalp and through the 
hair on a bit of sponge, and then the whole rinsed with warm 
water, and dried by pressing between cotton or linen towels. 
The ends of the hairs, if they split/ should be trimmed off an 
inch or so and thus kept back until this tendency is overcome. 
In brushing the hair, only a soft brush should be used; but this 
used carefully will be found to bring a warm glow to the scalp, 
and thus materially aid recovery; for it is the aim of the whole 
treatment for alopecia to quicken the sluggish circulation in 
the scalp. 

Electricity applied, with proper care, to the scalp by means 
of a wet sponge, one of the poles of the battery being placed 
at the nape of the neck, will also be found of service in stimu- 
lating the nervous action, and thus increase the amount of 
blood sent to each hair follicle, and its papilla. 

The loss of the hair through any of the parasitic or inflam- 
matory diseases, or dandruff, will be treated of in the chapters 
specially devoted to these subjects, as this does not properly 
come under the head of Alopecia Vulgaris. 



ALOPECIA CIRCUMSCRIPTA. 153 



II. Alopecia Circumscripta (circumscribed baldness). 

Description. This form of hair-loss is denoted by bald (more 
or less circular) patches seen in the hair or beard. It should 
not be confounded with the disease known as tinea alopecia, 
described in a following chapter, as this is a very different dis- 
ease. The tinea alojDecia is a parasitic disease; the loss of hair 
being due to a vegetable growth, and is contagious; whereas, 
in alopecia circumscripta the loss is due to a nervous lesion, in 
most cases, and is not contagious. In this class should be 
placed the Ophiasis (from the Greek ocpiaffiS meaning serpen- 
tine or snake-shaped) of the ancients, and which is so graphi- 
cally described by Celsus (B. C. 30) thus: "That which, from 
its likeness to a serpent, is called ophiasis, begins at the back 
part of the head, and with a width of not over two lingers' 
breadth ; from here it creeps up behind the ears, and, sometimes, 
even up to the forehead, where the two heads are joined 
together." "Oftentimes," he says, "this form disappears with- 
out any treatment, though some gently scarify them with a 
knife; others anoint them with an escharotic, mixed with oil; 
especially that of burnt paper. Others apply turpentine or 
resin with thapsia." Celsus recommends close shaving of the 
scalp, as he thinks this bares the roots of the hair, and then he 
rubs sulphate of copper over them. 

This disease is more often seen in women, especially the 
ophiasic variety, than in men; the probable cause being that 
they are more susceptible to perverted nervous influences. 
Headaches are more common with them, and, in the majority of 
cases, these are but symptoms of other nervous derangements. 

It is frequently seen in children of from five to ten years of 
age; from a record of the cases kept at the hospital for diseases 
of the skin, in London, it was found that out of every sixteen 



154 ALOPECIA CIRCUMSCRIPTA. 

cases presented, thirteen cases were females, even at this early 
age; of the cases from ten to fifteen years of age, two cases in 
females were met with to one in males. It is quite frequently 
seen to succeed some of the eruptive diseases of childhood, 
and sometimes accompanies ascarides in the rectum. 

The appearance of the bald spots is that of an atrophy, or 
shrinkage, of the skin; it appears thinner than normal, and of 
a shining white color; the follicles are so shrunken as to appear 
absent; sensibility is also diminished ; no special pain attends 
the course of the disease, and local anaemia is so marked that 
only quite severe friction, or strong irritants, will induce a 
healthy glow in the diseased parts. 

If the bulbous portion of the hair is examined miscroscopi- 
cally, it will be found attenuated, instead of rounded out full 
with an abundance of newly formed hair-cells; the hair itself 
will be harsh and dry, and easily knotted and broken. 

Treatment. Constitutional treatment will often be found 
necessary; if the menstrual functions be not properly performed, 
they must be at once set right; if uterine irritation is the cause, 
or a prime factor, in the head neuralgias, this must receive its 
proper local and constitutional treatment. If in children 
worms, or choreic symptoms, are present, these must be gotten 
rid of ; if constipation is present, the presciption given on 
page 148 will prove of great value. Proper hygienic rules 
should be adopted; in fact, everything tending to build up 
the general health is of service. The bark and iron tonic 
mentioned on page 149 will also prove of service here. 
Some of the emulsions of cod-liver oil, especially that com- 
bined with the hypophosphites of lime and soda, will be 
useful. 

As a local treatment, painting the bare patches with the pure 
tincture of iodine (iodinii tinctura) twice a day, till irritation 



ALOPECIA CIRCUMSCRIPTA. 155 

is set up, will be of good service; tincture of Spanish fly 
(tinctura cantharidis) , applied in the same way, only washed 
off a half an hour after each application, will also prove a 
useful stimulant to the bare portion of the scalp, and so invite 
more blood to the hair, follicles; or, if the trouble prove quite 
rebellious, a blister of the officinal cantharidis emplastrum 
(Spanish fly plaster), to cover the bald spot, will prove of 
estimable service. 

In these cases electricity proves of special value; keep one 
pole of the battery, usually the positive, at the nape of the 
neck, and the other, surmounted with a dampened sponge, over 
the bald spots for two or three minutes at a time; then change 
the positive pole to the back of each ear, alternately under it 
and in front of it, and also over the eyebrows, keeping it at 
each point for two or three minutes; by so doing you cover 
the origin of most of the external cutaneous nerves of the 
scalp. Of course but a mild current can be used, as it will 
else give too much pain; still, the sensation should savor 
somewhat of the painful in order to get the full effect of 
the battery. Either the Faradic or constant current can be 
employed; a change from one to the other will also be bene- 
ficial. 

Acetic acid is sometimes of value, if painted on the bare 
places and kept there till stinging is produced, when it can be 
washed off with a bit of sponge and warm water. This should 
be applied every day or two. Carbolic acid, similarly applied, 
though no washing off is necessary, unless the extent of surface 
be large, will also be useful. A superficial exfoliation of the 
cuticle will follow this, if used undiluted, though this will only 
be beneficial. The officinal unguentum hydrargyri oxidi rubri 
(red precipitate ointment) is also a good stimulating appli- 
cation. 



156 ALOPECIA SENILIS. 

Prof. Wilson has also recommended friction of the following 
liniment, to the bare places, daily: 

I£. Linimenti aconiti (aconite liniment), 
" ammonias, 

" camphorae, 

" chloroformi, aa. 1 j (of each 1 ounce). 

M. S. External use. 

After the downy hair begins to grow out from the follicles 
of the bare places (usually in from four to six weeks), it 
should be kept clipped short for a time, and less severe irritants 
then used locally to the patches. Any of the lotions spoken of 
on pages 91, 125, 126, will then be in order. The phenomenon 
of seeing the bald patches being covered with a new growth of 
hair, while new bald places are forming, is sometimes seen in 
this disease. 

III. Alopecia Senilis. 

Description. This is the name of the form of baldness seen 
in aged individuals. It is sometimes termed calvities, and is 
due to the general wasting of all the vital functions; it is 
especially marked by a shrinking, or atrophy of the scalp. 
The hair first becomes gray, before a loss of this kind occurs, 
the commencing point being at the top of the head. In old 
people the fat cells are lessened in size and number, especially 
those that are placed subcutaneously;- the shrinking of these 
accounts, in great part, for the atrophy of the skin in such 
individuals; as a result of this the circulation is lessened, the 
scalp becomes dry and the hair follicles shrunken, or even 
entirely obliterated. 

Treatment. Little, I am sorry to say, can be done to cure 
this complaint. Preventative measures, however, when the 
hair begins to fall out, may be of a good deal of service in 
delaying the final loss of the comate covering. As the chief 



ALOPECIA SENILIS. 157 

direct cause of the complaint is a diminution of blood supply 
to the hair papillae, and follicles, its free circulation about the 
hair roots should be encouraged in all ways possible by the 
use of stimulating embrocations and frictions to the scalp. A 
soft brush should be used, night and morning, upon the scalp, 
before it is applied. As a continuous dressing the lotion given 
on page 149, without perhaps quite so much oil, should follow 
the use of the brush. The stronger lotion, mentioned on page 
140, could occasionally be employed with benefit. 

As the loss of fatty tissue is another common accompaniment 
of old age, the adoption of a diet suitable for the production 
of fat should be encouraged. Good roast beef, the fat to it, 
soups made with the marrow left in the bones, and even pork- 
fat are all good fat makers when eaten; so, too, the starchy 
grains and vegetables. Healthy, out-door, exercise should also 
be regularly taken. 

Yet, it must be remembered that in spite of all treatment 
and hygienic measures, the hair will come out sometime, since it 
is as natural for it to grow old and pass away as for the human 
body to grow wrinkled and aged, and ripe for the tomb. For 

"Age comes like snow, 

As still, and carves each careworn line ; 
Its wrinkles on the brow will grow,— 

The hair with silvery threads will shine ; 
The eyes their brightness lose,— the hand 

Grow dry and tremulous and thin ; 
For Life, alas, is quickly spanned, 

And Death its gates soon closes in." 



CHAPTER XIII. 

COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 

General Remarks. When it is found that the measures 
recommended in the preceding chapters are of no avail in 
checking the appearance of gray hairs, the aid of dyes is sought, 
by many, to hide this tell-tale story of 

" How long with Time we've been." 

From time immemorial hair-dyeing has been practiced 
(though some have ascribed its origin to Medea), not only to 
cover up the whitening, tell-tale hairs of Age, but even to give 
a new cast of color to the head-covering that Nature has given 
us. The ancient Greeks and Romans sanctioned it; for the 
saintly Tertullian, of Carthage, had occasion to reprimand his 
flock because " they were continually engaged in giving their 
hair a lighter color." St. Jerome, living a couple of centuries 
later, wrote that "the people dye their hair red." JElian inci- 
dentally refers to the same coloring process, when he speaks of 
the beauteous blonde tresses of Atalanta, in saying that they 
were " yellow, not produced by any womanly art, but altogether 
natural." Solomon, so Josephus says, was the first to bring into 
notice golden hair, for he had the hair of his pages powdered 
with gold. And the Musselman, likewise, deems it almost a 
sacred duty to dye his hair and beard a reddish-yellow color. 

The satirical Martial (A. D. 40) writes thus to his friend 
Latinus: " You ape youth with your dyed hair; and you who 
were but recently a swan, have suddenly become a crow ! But 



COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 159 

you cannot deceive every one; Proserpina knows the hoary 
head you are, and will snatch the mask from you." To a lady 
friend the same satirist once^ wrote, sending a true golden lock 
with it: f 

" Your hair, Lesbia, indeed the golden hue hath taken; 
But I send a genuine lock, to prove your dye mistaken." 

It is also reported that when the gray-haired sculptor, Miron, 
sued for the hand of the beautiful Lais, and was refused, he 
supposed his white locks were the ground for his unacceptable 
pleading; so next day he appeared with them dyed to a raven 
black, and pressed his suit anew, only to be laughed at for his 
silliness with, "How can I grant you to-day what I refused 
your father yesterday." 

Venice, especially mediaeval Venice, has done more towards 
dyeing the hair than any other nationality. It was nothing 
unusual to see a black-eyed beauty on the balcony, with a 
crownless hat, letting the sun bleach out her hair as it lay 
disheveled over the brim. 

To Dye Hair Black. It must not be supposed that any of 
the dyes given on the following pages can be used indiscrimi- 
nately, or with little or no caution. Most of them are poison- 
ous, and have to be used with great care. 

Daniel Turner, writing over a century ago, says: "In the 
use of coloring, staining and dyeing of the hairs, and indeed in 
all the other administrations about them, great care is to be 
had of the brain, lest while we are busy about adorning those 
excrementitious parts (as reckoned by some) of the body, we 
bring some inconvenience or detriment to the more noble resi- 
dence of the soul placed underneath." 

Referring to the phrase " excrementitious parts," as just used, 
we find that it was a common view among our earlier ancestors 
to deem the hairs really an excrement from the body; this is 



160 COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 

the view that one of the characters of Shakspeare took of it, for 
in "Love's Labor Lost," act v, we find this : " For I must tell 
thee it will please his grace, by the world, sometimes to lean on 
my shoulder and, with his royal finger, thus dally with my 
excrement, my moustache." 

I do not really recommend the use of these various dyes, even 
in the many cases of early blanching of the hair; as, to me, 
the sight of gray hair is not unpleasant. I rather like gray 
hairs; they are, in the aged, the emblems of wisdom; they 
remind us of hearts that have been steadfast amid all external 
changes and friendships, and which time and circumstances 
have not changed or weakened. 

Almost all the so-called hair-dyes, which should more properly 
be called paints, depend upon the action of minerals for their 
blackening process. All of the patent right ones, with hardly 
an exception, contain lead in some form. A few varieties are 
made up of iron alone; these are absolutely harmless; those 
containing sulphur, or nitrate of silver, can be used so exces- 
sively as to be productive of hurt; yet, I think their dangerous- 
ness has been overrated, when they have been used in moderate 
quantities. 

Bazin, in speaking of hair-dyes, says they are of two kinds; 
one, as galls, infusion of nux vomica or pomegranate, is almost 
inoffensive, though uncertain and unstable in results; the other, 
whose base is lime, silver, lead, iron or sulphur, is successful 
in results, though dangerous for employment. I think the 
author has somewhat overstrained the point in considering the 
iron and sulphur ones as dangerous; the other ones may be, if 
used imprudently. 

Browne has said that "soot mixed with grease will make 
hair as black and full of dust as any collier's sack," and this 
was one of the dyes the earlier Greeks made use of, to change 



COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 161 

their blonde locks to those of darker hue; afterwards a solution 
of galls, iron or other metallic bases was employed. The 
Romans made use of putrefied leeches, boiled in wine, for the 
same purpose. 

The Mussulmans of India use the black sulphurets of lead and 
antimony, and the oxide of iron occasionally, for producing a 
black color of the hair, but more commonly the far-famed henna, 
a preparation from the Lawsonia inermis. The henna-paste is 
applied thoroughly to the hair, from the tips to the roots, left 
on for an hour or so, and then it is washed off. The hair is 
then seen to be of a dark red. Another preparation, or paste, 
made from the indigo plant and water, is applied, and is then 
washed off after remaining on for three or four hours. After 
this the hair is well oiled; and it is said that the jetty blackness 
resulting from this procedure is difficult to be surpassed. This 
is really one of the best and least dangerous of the hair dyes 
that could be used. Dr. Tholozan, the physician to the Shah 
of Persia, in describing this operation, says: the coarse powder 
of the leaves of the henna (Lawsonia) is mixed to a paste with 
hot water, and this is applied, assisted by hot air, thoroughly 
to the hair and beard, the same previously having been cleansed, 
with soap and water, from all oily or greasy material. This is 
allowed to remain on from one and a half to two hours, when 
it is washed off. The resulting color is a fine orange red, which 
is particularly handsome when white hair has been so treated. 
This reddish tint is changed into a black by the means of a 
preparation called reng or rang (from the Indigofera argentea) ; 
this is also a sort of a paste, and must remain a couple of hours 
on the hair; when washed off the hair is found to be of a rich, 
lustrous jet black. Perfectly white hair is not quite so dark 
colored as darker hair so treated. The skin, which has been 
colored by the operation, as well as the hair, can be washed 
11 



162 COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 

clean by the use of soap and friction; this, however, does not 
injure the color of the hair, and it retains its dark color for a 
long period of time. 

The old preparation recommended by Paulus JEgineta, and 
venerable because of its age, is the expressed juice of the green 
shell of walnuts. As this is liable to spoil, unless some preser- 
vative is mixed with it, a few drops of the oil of cloves, and 
an ounce or two of alcohol might be added to a pint of the 
juice. It is to be used by freely sponging upon the hair. It 
is more of a " restorer " of the color of the hair than a dye 
proper. 

The following iron preparation will be found useful to darken 
the hair, and it has also the advantage of being non-poisonous: 

R\ Ferri sulphatis (sulphate of iron), 3 j (1 drachm). 
Alcoholis (alcohol), 5 j (1 ounce). 
Rosmarini ol. (oil rosemary), gtts. xij (12 drops). 
Aquae purse (pure water), O ss Q4 pint). 

M. and apply frequently to the hair and scalp. 

This preparation has another advantage, that of being of use 
when dandruff is present upon the scalp. By leaving out the 
oil of rosemary and alcohol, and putting in equal parts of water 
and cologne-water, a very eligible preparation is formed. A 
wash very similar to this is a great favorite among the fashion- 
able Parisians. 

The following is said to give a good and natural-looking dye, 
free from the caustic action of silver salts and the poisonous 
effects of lead compounds. Two preparations are needed : 

No. 1. 

R\ Bismuthi citratis (citrate of bismuth), I j (1 ounce). 
Aquae rosae (rose water), I ij (2 ounces). 
Aquae destil. (distilled water), I ij (2 ounces). 
"Alcoholis (alcohol), 3 v (5 drachms). 
Ammoniae (ammonia), q. s. (sufficient). 

M. S. Apply in the morning thoroughly to the hair. 



COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 163 

No. 2. 
R. Sodii hyposulphis (hyposulphite of soda), 3 xij (12 drachms). 
Aquas destillatae (distilled water), 3 iv (4 ounces). 

M. S. Apply in the evening thoroughly to the hair. 

Instead of waiting so long as this, the preparations could be 
applied, if necessary, an hour or so apart; but the morning and 
evening alternate application is usually found the best. This 
dye is based on the chemical action of the reduction of the hydro- 
sulphate of soda by bringing it in contact with the citrate of 
bismuth, the result being a formation of the sulphate of bis- 
muth. As red and blonde hair contain sulphur in excess of 
the other colors, we know why such hair retains its color longer 
and better than hair of other hue. 

Nitrate of silver (lunar caustic) is probably as generally used 
as any of the salts of the metals (unless it be the acetate of 
lead) for producing a change in the coloring of the hair. 
Usually the strength of the solution is from five to ten grains 
of the silver to the ounce of water, as in the following: 

R. Argenti nitratis (nitrate of silver), grs. x to lx (10 to 60 grains). 
Aquae destillatae (distilled water), 1 ij (2 ounces). 

M. S. Apply to the hair, wetting it thoroughly. Then let dry slowly by evapo- 
rating in the sunshine, or heated room exposed to the light. 

If time is of importance, the darkening of the silver solu- 
tion can be hastened by applying the following solution a few 
moments after the nitrate of silver is used: 

R\ Potassii sulphureti, 3i to vj (1 to 6 scruples). 

Aquae destillatae (distilled water), 5 ij (2 ounces). 
M. 

This will make almost an instantaneous change to a black 
hue, if the silver solution has been first used. Where there 
are only streaks of gray here and there upon the scalp, a single 
application will be all that is required, till the hair is grown 
out quite a distance, so that the portion nearest the follicles 



164 COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 

will need color-dressing again. The objection to this dye is 
that it stains the scalp and hands as thoroughly as it does the 
hair. To avoid this, great care should be used to protect the 
scalp, and gloves should be worn upon the hands during the 
application. A brush will probably be found the most conve- 
nient applicator. 

The ordinary lead preparations are made up of the sugar of 
lead, ten to twenty grains to the ounce of water, as follows: 

R. Plumbi acetatis (sugar of lead), grs. xl (40 grains). 
Aquae destillatae (distilled water), % ij (2 ounces). 

M. Apply this to the hair thoroughly, and when about dry apply a solution of 
the sulphide of ammonium, about one-fourth the strength of the British 
Pharmacopoeia solution. 

The objection to the last compound is its very unpleasant 
odor. It gives, though, an excellent brown or black color to 
the hair, according to the strength of the solutions employed, 
and does not stain the scalp. 

The mercuric dyes are best represented by the following: 

R. Hydrargyri chlor. cor. (corrosive sublimate), grs. xij (12 grains). 
Aquae rosae (rose water), 1 iv (4 ounces). 

M. S. Poison. To be used with great caution and externally. 

If there are any abrasions on the scalp this solution should 
not be employed, as enough of it might be absorbed to produce 
deleterious results. It is best applied to the hair by means of 
a brush dipped in the solution, and then thoroughly brushed 
through and over the hair. When it has become dry the fol- 
lowing should then be employed: 

R. Sodii hyposulphis, § j (1 ounce). 
Aquae (water), I ij (2 ounces). 

M. S. Apply externally. 

The same brush should not be used for making both applica- 
tions. The solutions can be applied, one at night, and the other 



COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 165 

in the morning, for a few days, then once or twice a week, 
until the desired result is obtained. This is quite a slow acting 
dye. 

In the use of any of the above dyes, or indeed any of the 
following, the hair should be thoroughly cleansed from all 
oleaginous material; this may be done by washing in toilet- 
soap suds, or by the free use of bay rum and cologne water, 
and then drying. After the dye is once " set," oil, cocoa-nut 
is the best, should be applied as a dressing to help bring out 
the color and gloss; also to prevent too much drying of the hair. 

Brown Hair Dye. Sometimes plumbic acetate and sulphur 

are combined together in one -and the same solution, of the 

strength of the following: 

F*. Plumbi acetatis (acetate of lead), 3 ss Q4, drachm). 
Sulphur sublimati (flowers of sulphur), 3 3 (1 drachm). 
Aquae, liv. 
M. S. Shake well and apply night and morning for a week or so, then decrease 
the frequency of the application, gradually, to once a week, or once 
in two weeks. 

This is a slow dye, yet one that answers fairly when there is 
not much grayness to the hair. It also is a very mild prepara- 
tion. The deposit left upon the skin can be easily brushed off 
when it becomes dry. Like all of the lead dyes it acts best 
upon hair of a reddish tinge, though gray hair is turned to a 
brownish color by it. Its effect upon light hair is to give more 
of a dark brown tint to it. 

The following also makes a very good brown, and the tint 
can be darkened, as the fancy may desire, by a continued appli- 
cation of the two preparations: 

1$. Cupri sulphatis (sulphate of copper), grs. xvj (16 grains). 

Aquae destil. (distilled water), 1 iv (4 ounces). 
31. Apply thoroughly to the hair, and when dry or nearly dry use the following: 

R. Potassi ferrocyanidi, grs. xvj (16 grains). 

Aquae destillatae Cdistilled water), I iv (4 ounces). 
M. Apply by means of sponge or brush. 



166 COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 

This last solution is poisonous, if swallowed in any quantity, 
and hence should be kept out of the reach of children; indeed 
so should all dyes. It does not stain the skin, and simulates, 
very closely, the normal brown coloring given by nature, when 
applied to gray hair. 

The following will also give a very good dark brown, and 
even black, if applied frequently enough: 

R. Argenti ammonio-nitratis (ammonio-nitrate of silver), 3 j (1 drachm). 
Aquas destillatae (distilled water), 1 iv (4 ounces). 

M. 

Care should be had not to bring this into contact with the 
skin any more than possible, as it will stain it. Its application 
should be followed, when the hair becomes dry, with the follow- 
ing: 

]$. Acidi pyrogallici (pyrogallic acid), 3 ij (2 drachms). 
Aquae destillatae (distilled water), § iv (4 ounces). 

M. Apply by means of sponge or brush. 

The permanganate of potash may be used to give a light 
brown color to the hair; it should be used of the strength of 
from ten to forty grains to the ounce of distilled water. It 
makes but little discoloration of the skin, and is perfectly harm- 
less. The brown color can be deepened, and even changed to a 
black, by using, alternately with the permanganate solution, 
the solution of pyrogallic acid just mentioned. 

To dye the hair red. This is usually on the plan of bleach- 
ing a darker colored hair down to this color; though sometimes 
a true coloring principle is desired, as when gray, or light 
blonde hair is sought to be darkened to this color. The least 
harmful of all the dyes is the Persian henna before described 
(see under the heading of black hair dyes). 

It is said that red hair was not known to the old inhabitants 
of England, until the country was invaded by the Saxons and 



COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 167 

the Danes. The Danish soldiers, prior to the Norman conquest, 
who were quartered in England during the reign of Ethelred 
II. (968), had red hair. The second son of William, Duke of 
Normandy, who conquered England at the battle of Hastings, 
and who succeeded to the crown, was called Rufus on account 
of his red hair. Ossian, in his poems, scarcely mentions any 
beautiful man or woman without clothing them with a cranial 
covering of reddish hue. The ancient Gauls also manifested 
this predilection for red hair. The Turks, it is said, like red- 
haired women, and the Tripolitan ladies aid in this coloration 
with vermilion. Some of the central African tribes manifest 
a similar fondness. The ancient Teutons also prized this same 
coloring for the comate material, and the great historian Pliny 
has given us one of their favorite receipts for pomatum; it is 
composed of tallow and ashes, similar to that the Roman ladies 
used to bleach their hair to a blonde color, the difference being 
only in the degree of blanching. Martial, in speaking of the 
same, says it was made from goat's tallow and the ashes of 
beechwood, and was used to " change the color of German 
wigs in order to give them instead a color of flame." In later 
times the same locality has been noted for its hair or Hessian 
(from the county, Hesse) soap. The ancient Britons increased 
the brightness of their red locks by bathing them in water in 
which lime had been dissolved. 

Auburn hair is hair having a tinge of red, and this stage is 
sometimes reached in bleaching dark brown hair down to that 
of a yellow, or blonde hue. 

A strong infusion of saffron, to which has been added some 
carbonate of soda, if followed by an application of lemon juice 
or vinegar, will give a reddish yellow hue to dark-colored 
hair. 

Bronzonette, whatever that may be, it is said, will, with the 



168 COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 

aid of spirits of wine, give a crimson coloring to the hair. 
Thirty drops of the bronzonette to a couple of drachms of 
alcohol, is the usual amount taken. As the color begins to 
pale, a new application of the alcohol will revive it consider- 
ably. 

Some of the salts of antimony are also made use of, as the 
ordinary tartar emetic, in hair dyeing. Thus: 

R. Antimonii etpotassii tart, (tartar emetic), 3 3 (1 drachm). 
Aquae purae (pure water), I ij (2 ounces). 
Acidi tartarici (tartaric acid), grs. v (5 grains). 

M. Apply with sponge to the hair. 

Care must be taken that the scalp is not much wetted with 
this solution, lest enough become absorbed to vomit the indi- 
vidual. Its application is to be followed with a solution of 
ammonic sulphide, one part to four parts water. This works 
the best upon light-brown hair. 

Yellow or " blonde " dyes. The action of all compounds to 
produce this color are on the bleaching principle; it is some 
dark-haired beauty that sighs for the light, golden hair of the 
blonde, in the vain hope that she may even yet outrival the 
lovely Ariadne, the Homeric Helen, or the Horacian Pyrrha, 
that usually makes use of these blanching agents. Blonde hair 
was the hair that Roman and Grecian heroes wore, that Roman 
and Grecian poets sang of; and ancient warriors loved to 
behold upon the heads of their fair mistresses. Poppsea, the 
second wife of Nero, and one of the most profligate women the 
world ever knew, was eminent for the unrivaled beauty of her 
hair, which was of the color of amber, and the emperor cele- 
brated it in song; she first introduced the toilet mask to the 
Roman ladies, and bathed only in asses' milk (of which a train 
of 500 always followed her in her travels for this purpose), so 
that the fairness and softness of her skin might be preserved. 



COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 169 

Milton sang also of Eve as one whose " loose tresses were of 

flowing gold." Virgil, in 

Nam, quia nee fato, merita nee morte peribat. 
******* 

Nondum tiliflavum Proserpina vertice crinem 
Abstulerat, 

tells of the golden (yellow) hair that Dido wore, and which 
Proserpine had not yet clipped from her head. Sometimes, 
when the brunette belles, of ancient Rome, could not get a 
satisfactory golden hue to their cranial covering, the aid of the 
wigmaker was invoked, as the caustic Martial pithily hints at 
in one of his satires: 

" The golden hair that Gallas wears 

Is hers— who would have thought it ? 
She swears 'tis hers ! and true she swears, 
For /know where she bought it." 

Ovid also relates that the wig-makers at Rome were accus- 
tomed to buy up the spoils from the heads of the Germans 
taken in battle, and make them into perukes for the fashionable 
dames of ancient Rome to wear, in order to hide their darker- 
hued tresses. 

The Emperor Verus, who lived about 175 after the time of 
Christ, had such a fondness for this colored hair that he used 
to, after the manner that Solomon treated his pages, sprinkle 
his own hair with gold dust, so as to still further increase its 
yellow brilliancy. 

The Roman ladies used a very impure kind of soap, that 
made from ashes and goat's fat mixed, for blanching their locks. 
A town in Germany— for the Germans are by nature blondes, 
or a light-haired race — called Mattium, used to furnish this 
substance in balls to the Roman cosmetic-vendor, and hence the 
common name for "the article was "mattic balls." Akin to 
this is the " potash treatment " so much in vogue with us to-day, 



170 COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 

when maidens will persist in washing their dark-colored tresses 
with strong soap suds, or a weak solution of caustic potash, and 
then expose themselves to the sun. The blanching of the hair 
is obtained by this method, and is perhaps the least harmful of 
any, though more slow in its action than some. However, it is 
some form of chlorine or sulphurous acid, or nitric acid that is 
now most made use of for bleaching the hair. These agents 
work more rapidly than the alkalies (potash or soda) and are not 
so apt to injure the texture of the hair; they are used by our 
wig-makers to blanch the locks they are making up for sale. 

A weak solution of the nitro-muriatic acid, as it combines 
both nitrogen and chlorine, is the better agent to employ. The 
strength of this will need to vary as the occasion may require; 
but starting with the weaker solution, whose strength can be 
increased after a time, frequently applied, will be the safer 
way; you must remember that in one sense you are killing the 
hair, that is its color, and hence caution is needed. A solution, 
somewhat as follows, would be well enough to start with: 

R\ Acidi nitro-muriatici diluti, 3 iv (4 drachms). 
Aquae, 1 iv (4 ounces). 

M. Apply by means of a sponge, and dry in sunshine, or by the aid of hot irons. 
It will not injure the skin. 

The officinal aqua chlorinii, chlorine water, might also be 
used in the same manner as the lotion just given to fulfill the 
same purposes. 

As harmless, though perhaps not quite so effectual as some 
of the other dyes spoken of, is the following wash: After 
washing the hair thoroughly with a solution of alum, the 
strength not important, bathe it with a tea made of the annotta 
(the ordinary cheese-coloring product), in which a little com- 
mon baking soda has been dissolved. This application has to 
be made a number of times before much change is noted in the 



COLORING, OR DYEING, THE HAIR. 171 

color, as it is very mild. If each application, when dry, is fol- 
lowed by a washing with vinegar, or water soured with lemon 
juice, the color will be deepened somewhat. It is only appli- 
cable for very light hair, as it contains no "bleaching" agent. 

Stannic chloride, with a mordant of amnionic sulphide, will 
also turn the hair a yellow color, through the bleaching agency 
of the chlorine and sulphurous acid that is present in the two 
lotions. So also will the application of a solution of plumbic 
acetate, followed up with a mordant of potassic chromate. 

All of these bleaching agents, if used excessively, are apt to 
leave the hair crisp and dry, or even to extend their ravages 
farther and so destroy the existing growth entirely. The 
ancients well knew this, for Ovid, in an elegy upon his mistress, 
who had suffered the loss of a beautiful head of hair, through 
this vanity, says: 

"I have always said 'Do leave off doctoring your hair'; but 
now you have no hair left that you can dye. It used to reach 
down to your ankles; and was it not so fine, like the slender 
thread that the spider weaves, or the gauzy veils the Seres wear, 
that you hardly dared to dress it ? Its color was not black, nor 
yet golden, but a mixture of them both, like the tall cedars of 
Ida when stripped of their bark. Your own hand has been the 
cause of the loss you now mourn, for you poured the poison 
upon your own head." 

And this is about the fate that our modern ladies may 
expect to overtake their heads of hair if too much dyeing or 
bleaching be attempted. 



. CHAPTER XIV. 

PITYRIASIS. 

DANDRUFF, DANDRIFF, DANDRIFFE, DANDER. 

Derivation. Pityriasis is derived from the Greek word 
rtirvpa, meaning bran. 

Dandruff, from the Anglo-Saxon words tan and drof, mean- 
ing itch- dirt. 

Hippocrates, the " father of medicine," was the first to give 
this troublesome complaint a name, selecting the Greek term 
just given; this was done from the close resemblance of the 
scales to wheaten bran. He, however, did not recognize the 
various diseases producing this symptom, as seborrhoea, psori- 
asis, eczema and tinea, which are referred to in separate chap- 
ters farther on. 

Cause. The causes of dandruff are various; it is most com- 
monly produced, when not dependent upon inflammatory or 
parasitical scalp trouble, by systematic negligence of the scalp. 
It may also arise from the use of rancid or irritating pomades, 
hair-dyes, and the too frequent and too severe use of the fine- 
comb. As a rule, this article of the toilet, the fine comb, should 
be used only for the same purpose that a hunter uses his traps — 
to catch game; for the fine teeth scratch off the epithelial 
covering of the scalp, thus leaving the corium, or true skin, 
exposed, and subject to irritation. The comb also irritates the 
hair follicles and the sebaceous glands, thus causing them to 
throw out more oleaginous material than the hair or scalp 
needs; this results, finally, in a disease of both the skin and 



DANDKTJFF. 173 

follicles, the former producing a rapid exfoliation of the scarf- 
skin, and the latter, an over-abundance of sebaceous material. 

As a rule when dandruff is first noticed, there is no disease 
proper of either follicle or skin; but through the inattention of 
the patient the head may become dirty, not being properly 
brushed or washed, and as a result the dried-down sebaceous 
material will unite with the exfoliating epidermal scales, dust 
from the room or street, the linen, cotton or woolen fibres 
loosened from the clothing, and the whole will then be thrown 
off in these branny scales that give rise to the name dandruff. 
In nomenclature the Anglo-Saxons were about right in giving 
the complaint the name of "itch-dirt." When this is allowed 
to go too far, a positive disease may be induced, and a loss of 
hair will be the result. 

It is pretty hard to draw the exact dividing line between 
dandruff, as I have considered it in this chapter, and the disease 
of the follicles, known as seborrhcea or stearrhoea, which is 
treated of in the following chapter, and which is due to an 
inflammatory condition of these little glands. In most scalp 
diseases dandruff is a symptom ; hence it may be hard for the 
sufferer with this cosmetic trouble to tell if it be due to his self- 
negligence, or to a disease; still, if the scalp has been neglected 
for any length of time, and the following hygienic treatment 
does not speedily arrest the falling of the scales upon the 
clothing, he may be pretty well assured that something more 
than mere uncleanliness of the scalp is the cause of his com- 
plaint. 

Treatment. This is, as above intimated, rather hygienic than 
medical, and for which the reader is referred to the chapter 
upon this special subject. 

Sometimes, though, a dressing of bay rum applied to the 
scalp and hair, will be found grateful. If moderately used it 



174 DANDRUFF. 

will be beneficial rather than harmful, and will assist in keep- 
ing the scalp clean. You had better avoid oily dressings, rely- 
ing mainly upon the hair follicles to furnish this material for 
keeping the skin soft and the hair pliant. 

The following extract I take from an old book, published in 
1634, whose title is given on page 106. It shows how our earlier 
ancestors regarded the trouble. This extract was printed in 
the old style black letter, though the body of the work was 
printed in roman type: 

Of the Causes and Remedies of Dandruffe of the Head. 

" I will briefly declare the filthinesse of the head called in 
Latin Perrigo, in English the dandruffe of the head, the which 
is, when that at the kembing and scratching of the head, cer- 
taine white scales, as it were branne, f alleth off from the head, 
and lyeth very thick among and under the hayre. 

" The cause of this Dandruffe cometh by abundance of fleg- 
maticke humors, commixt with the blood, the which daily and 
hourly by incessable sweating, evaporateth and issueth out of 
the pores in the skin that covereth the panbone, and as fast as 
it issueth forth, dryeth on the outter superf acie of the skin, and 
there remaining and gathering together, becometh every day 
more and more, thereto greatly keeping the forrest of hayre 
which covereth, harboureth, and retayneth such superfluities, 
more in those places than in any other, where no hayre grow- 
eth (most commonly they that have blacke hayre have more 
store of Dandruffe than others). This humor suffered overlong 
to reigne on the head, destroyeth and corrupteth the rootes of 
the haires, making them to fall off in great plenty, and specially 
in kembing. And although this superfluity be not cleanely, yet 
notwithstanding it shall be no wisdome for me to teach, ne any 
other herewith encumbered to learne how to stop it, for feare 



DANDKUFF. ■ 175 

of further inconveniences: but only I counsell you once in ten 
dayes, at the least, to wash and scoure the head cleane with 
good lye wherein let be steeped in a linnen bag, of Annis seed, 
Commin, dried Rosemary, Fenegreke. and rinds of Pomegran- 
ates, of each like much: and beware that after washing of your 
head yee take no cold, before the head be perfectly dryed. 

" And whereas some say, that they which use oft washing of 
their heads shall be very prone to headache: that is not true 
but onely in such, that after they have beene washed, rolled up 
their haire (being yet wet) about their heads, the cold whereof 
is dangerous to bring them to Catarrhes and poses, with other 
inconveniences. Whereof all diligence must be had, that the 
head may be exactly well dryed with warme cloathes, whilest 
the head is yet hot of the washing, and then never feare any 
inconveniences, but rather convenience and commodity: and 
let this be done also fasting in the morning, or else one hour 
before supper, or five hours after supper. This oft washing 
shall purify the skin of the head, and steadfast the haire from 
falling, leviate and lighten the head, with all the senses therein 
contained, and greatly comfort the braines." 



CHAPTER XV. 

SEBORRHCEA CAPILLITII. 

OVERSECRETION OF THE SEBACEOUS GLANDS. 
Synonyms. Pityriasis, Acne sebacea, Tinea furfuracea, Stearrhoea, Dandruff. 

Derivation. From the Latin word sebum, meaning fat, or 
suet, and the Greek verb psoo, meaning to flow. So called 
because the fat flows out of the sebaceous follicle where the 
disease has been produced; also the Latin capittitium, meaning 
the hair. 

It will be noticed among the synonyms that the word that 
entitles our previous chapter has been retained here. This is 
owing to the fact that many authorities fail to make the dis- 
tinction between the two complaints. But I think I have made 
myself clear to you on what I consider the essential difference 
between the two complaints, viz., that the former, dandruff 
proper, I have considered to be not a disease, but the result of 
improper attention to the scalp; whereas the latter, or the com- 
plaint .under consideration, though it has as its effect an exag- 
gerated case of dandruff, is a positive disease, an irritation, or 
inflammation, if you please, of the hair follicles. 

Cause. The cause or causes are, primarily, similar to those 
which may cause the simpler complaint, dandruff. In fact, 
when the irritating causes there named, page 172, are at work, 
the result is, undoubtedly, either seborrhea, or an eczema of 
the scalp (see a following chapter). 

The morbid secretion of a seborrhcea may occur on other 
portions of the body than the scalp; or it may exist as a gen- 
eral disease; that is, one affecting all the sebaceous glands of 
the body, wherever found. As a rule it is oftenest seen in 



0VERSECRETT0N OF THE SEBACEOUS GLANDS. 177 

children, or in the aged, though it is not at all uncommon in 
adult life. The reason that infants are more subject to it than 
adults is that the sebaceous glands are more active in early life. 
In old age it is due to the changes in the glands themselves, for 
they then produce a larger amount of the sebaceous material 
than in early life. In females, suffering from menstrual derange- 
ments, it is also quite a common accompaniment of their other 
troubles, the head being the chief sufferer in the reflex ail- 
ments from the irritated uterus. Syphilis also produces its 
quota of seborrhceceous patients; the force of the virus being 
evidently spent on the sebaceous glands in this class of suffer- 
ers. When occurring in middle life, or as the effects of syphilis, 
a loss {effluvium capillitii) of the hair is pretty sure to follow,. 

Diagnosis. From the general symptom, dandruff, common to 
most scalp diseases, it is easy to mistake this trouble for eczema 
impetiginosum and lupus erythematodes. As the former is a fre- 
quent result of a long standing and illy treated Seborrhcea, you 
frequently have the two diseases, Seborrhoea and eczema, com- 
bined in the same person; for the retained masses of sebaceous 
material undergo decomposition, and a red, moist, eczematous 
irritation of the scalp ensues. Still, as a rule, the two can be 
easily differentiated by remembering that in Seborrhoea the skin, 
beneath the scales of dried sebaceous matter, is pale and shows 
no, or but little, irritation; also that itching is not a very promi- 
nent symptom; further, that the disease does not extend beyond 
the hairy parts, and that the neighboring lymphatic glands of 
the neck remain unaffected, and that the skin is not swollen. 

From lupus e., it can be known by remembering that Sebor- 
rhcea does not have its masses, or scales, firmly clinging to the 
sebum in the follicle; that there is no loss of substance about 
the follicular mouth; that there is no swelling or infiltration, of 
the adjacent skin. 

12 



178 0VERSECRETI0N OF THE SEBACEOUS GLANDS. 

From psoriasis it can be distinguished as follows: in infants 
psoriasis is not seen; in adults, psoriasis preserves the circular 
form of its masses of scales, so that the borders of such patches 
are markedly semi-circular; furthermore, psoriasis attacks the 
scalp secondarily; that is, it is first seen on the legs and arms, 
their extensor surfaces. 

From pemphigus foliaceus it can be distinguished by remem- 
bering that in Seborrhcea there is no excoriation; that there is 
no hanging of large lamellae of detached epidermis, and that 
there is never any raising of any little blisters upon the skin 
(bullw), which afterwards become purulent and then dry down 
into yellow crusts. 

Treatment. As a rule you can pretty confidently expect to 
cure this disease, especially in children, and in cases connected 
with menstrual derangements. The syphilitic and aged cases 
are less amenable to treatment, though all these rebellious 
cases can be materially benefited. 

The first step in the treatment of a case is to have the scales 
and crusts of sebum completely removed, and with as little 
irritation to the scalp as possible. This can be best done by 
soaking the diseased portion in free applications of sweet, or 
cod liver oil. When the crusts have been sufficiently softened 
by this process — it usually takes some twelve hours in inveterate 
cases — the whole can be washed off with ablutions of warm 
water and Castile soap. In the milder cases this treatment, 
combined with some mild astringent wash to the scalp, as cold 
green tea, or four or five grains of tannic acid to the ounce of 
water, will be all that is required. Should, however, the crusts 
return pretty freely, after this treatment, then something 
stronger may be needed in the line of treatment. Probablv an 
alkaline wash stronger than the one of Castile soap may be 
beneficially applied at times, as for instance that made from 



0VERSECRETI0N OF THE SEBACEOUS GLANDS. 179 

potash soap (sapo viridis) or green soap. Ordinary "soft soap," 
when made from clean fat, might be substituted for the "green 
soap," which is the potash soap of the pharmacy. A more 
elegant preparation of the "green soap " can be made by combin- 
ing it with cologne water, as, for instance, the following formula: 

]$. Saponis viridis (green soap), § ij (two ounces). 

Aquae cologniensis (Cologne water), 1 ij (two ounces). 

Misce et cola (mix and strain). 

This preparation can be applied to the diseased surface of 
the scalp, rubbing it in briskly for a few moments, then washing 
it out thoroughly with warm water, following with a douche 
of cold water, to constringe the over-distended sebaceous folli- 
cles. The officinal unguentum zinci oxidi (oxide of zinc oint- 
ment) or unguentum acidi tannici (tannic acid ointment) of the 
pharmacy may then be applied, to farther control the infiltra- 
tion of the skin and follicles. If there should be much infiltra- 
tion, then the officinal unguentum iodinii compositi (compound 
iodine ointment), or the unguentum hydrargyri iodidi rubri 
(red iodide of mercury ointment), might be advantageously 
employed; or, if preferred to be used in the liquid form, the 
following wash of mercury might be ordered to be used once 
or twice a day: 

1$. Hydrargyri chlo. cor. (corrosive sublimate), grs. ij (two grains). 
Aquae destillatae (distilled water), f ij (two ounces). 
Misce (mix) S. Poison. 

A wash might also be employed of the persulphate of iron, 
for a strong astringent, using a drachm of Monsel's solution to 
the ounce or two ounces of water. 

As the constitution may be at fault in many cases of Sebor- 
rhcea, it is well to look to that, and in strumous cases cod liver 
oil, combined with iron, the hypophosphites, arsenic, etc., should 
be ordered; the first two, oil and iron, in some form being 
indicated in most cases. The oil can be obtained at the shops 



180 



HUMAN HORNS. 



pleasantly emulsified; that with the extract of malt being one 
of the most useful combinations, especially if any dyspepsia be 
lurking about the individual. 

Cornua Humana — (Human Horns). 

Description. Closely 
allied to the subject- 
matter that we have 
been considering, is 
the growth of horn- 
shaped substances 
from the hairy and 
mucous portions of the 
body. 

I have seen these 
horn-like excrescences 
several inches in 
length. One old lady 
that I now recall, had 
one projecting from 
above her left eye to 
the length of three 
inches. In the British 
museum there is one 
preserved that is two 
and one-half inches 
in circumference and 
eleven inches in length. 

Figure 25 gives the 
representation of one 
that was six and one- 
half inches in length, and which grew from the side of the head. 




Fig. 25. 



HUMAN HORNS. 181 

In an old book, by Increase Mather, the following paragraph 
is found: 

" A man has an horn growing out of one corner of his mouth, 
just like that of a sheep, from which he has cut seventeen 
inches, and is forced to keep it tied by a string to his ear, to 
prevent it growing up to his eye." 

An old French lady is reported (1776) as having had a pair 
of horns, and when broken off, by accident, gave one to the 
king of France — surely a royal gift! This one was two inches 
in circumference and nine inches in length! She had shed hers 
three different times, the same as do deers theirs in their moult- 
ing season. 

In the New York Repository, for 1820, a case is given of one 
that was fourteen inches in circumference at its base and had 
three branches to it. This is, without doubt, the largest ever 
recorded. 

In 1844 Erasmus Wilson succeeded in making a collection 
of ninety cases of these excrescences {vide Med.- Chir. Trans., 
vol. xxvii), and found that forty-four occurred in females and 
thirty-nine in males; the other seven were not sexually stated. 
Out of this number forty-eight were found on the head, four on 
face, four on the nose, eleven on the thigh, three on the leg and 
foot, six on the back, five on the glans penis, and nine on the 
trunk of the body. 

Old age seems to be a predisposing cause, all the cases I have 
seen have been in individuals passed middle life. Of the forty- 
eight cases above recorded as occurring on the scalp, thirty- 
eight were above middle life, several were over seventy, and 
one was ninety-seven. Out of the lot of ninety, three were 
on young persons and three were on infants. 

Causes. The predisposing cause I have just given, viz., old 
age. If there be any other special cause it must be in a 



182 HUMAN HORNS. 

perverse and increased secretion from the sebaceous follicles and 
glands. Any continued irritation or injury seems also to be an 
exciting cause for their growth; suppressed menstruation has 
also been looked upon as another exciting cause. 

On examination it has been found that the horns closely 
resemble, chemically, as well as in their looks, the horns of 
animals, and the spurs of fowls. Their roots consist of a vascu- 
lar, lardaceous tissue, similar to the matrix of the nails; some- 
times, however, they seem to be the growth of the papillae. A 
great number of epithelial elements, similar to those of the 
scarf-skin, are found in them; the cells, however, are somewhat 
larger and possess nuclei. Their growth is quite slow; from 
three to eight years is usually the time they are in process of 
cellular construction. 

Treatment. There is but one measure that should be com- 
mended, and that is the knife. The diseased gland and follicles 
should be thoroughly dissected out and then there will be no 
return of the excrescence. Sometimes it is necessary to paint 
the cyst wall, or matrix, thoroughly with tincture of iodine, in 
order to be sure of destroying all perverted cell-action of the 
formative membrane, or hypertrophied papillae. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

ASTEATODES AND ALLOSTEATODES. 

SCANTY, AXD ABNORMAL FOLLICULAR SECRETION. 

Synonyms. Morbus pilaris; Xerosis; Xeroderma. 

Derivation. From the Greek a primitive, that has the influ- 
ence of a negative, and the Greek Gtsap ^meaning fat ; 
altogether, no fat, or a deficiency of the sebaceous secretion. 
See page 185 for Allosteatodes. 

Cause. It is impossible to assign just the influences that 
will produce this trouble, the effect of which is to render the 
skin harsh and dry, liable to crack, as well as to prevent the 
issuing of the hair shaft from its follicle. From the fact that 
the secretion is scanty, it is extremely liable to crust over the 
mouth of the hair follicle, and thus prevent the hair's exit. 
The result of this is to make a bending of the point upon its 
shaft, and, as the hair continues to grow, a redoubling of the 
shaft occurs again and again, until quite a lengthy hair may be 
coiled up in the little follicle, thus causing a slight swelling, or 
pimple, just beneath the scarf skin where this occurs. More 
or less itching, if not positive localized inflammation, is sure to 
follow this imprisoning of the hair within its follicle. 

As a rule it is seen in badly nourished people, the aged, and 
in children affected with hereditary syphilis. You can fre- 
quently see it upon the hands of washerwomen, cooks, and the 
like, who have their hands much in soapy water, which 
neutralizes, at once, the softening influence of the sebaceous 
matter secreted on them. On the head, of course, these causes 
cannot exist. 

The more severe disease xeroderma, of Fox and Wilson, 



184 NARCOSIS FOLLICULORUM. 

hardly belongs to this treatise, though the complaint here 
considered seems only to differ from it in degree. There is the 
same dryness of the skin, only it is more marked in xeroderma, 
and a positive thickening of the epithelial elements takes place; 
then too, the disease xeroderma is more general over the body, 
and is much more rebellious to' treatment. 

Treatment. Usually this is very simple. Nature suggests 
her own remedy at once — the finger nail. As soon as the cap 
is removed from the follicular mouth, the imprisoned hair at 
once escapes, and hence the irritation is removed. A free use 
of soap, occasionally with the brush mornings, will more easily 
overcome the obstruction. See the chapter devoted to the 
hygienic treatment of the hair. If, however, preternatural dry- 
ness should still remain, a few drops of cocoa oil, coco-oleine, 
rectified beef's marrow, or bear's oil, may be used as a scalp- 
dressing till the glands are brought into a more healthy state. 
An ointment, as follows, may prove of much service : 

R\ Ung. hydrargyri nit. (citrine ointment), 3 iij (three drachms) . 
Ung. benzoini (benzoated lard) 3 v (five drachms.) 

M. S. Apply twice daily. 

The dryness of the skin can be best overcome by the use of 
some oily dressing. The camphor ice, cold cream, etc., of the 
shops, answering the purpose very well for the hands and body. 
For the scalp, the dressing mentioned on page 125 might be 
employed. 

The disease 

NARCOSIS FOLLICULORUM 

is a chronic inflammation of the hair follicle, and is so inti- 
mately connected with Asteatodes that it may be as well con- 
sidered here, as an asteatodic result certainly follows the course 
of the complaint. 

Diagnosis. Frequently the presence of gray hairs, in circum- 
scribed spots, will be the first thing that calls your attention to 



ALLOSTEATODES. 185 

the complaint; this may or may not be followed by the falling 
out of the hairs at these points. The hair always has a floury 
or powdered look. It is impossible to keep the hair cleansed 
of these little whitening particles; if the brush is used too 
vigorously, then the hair comes out in handfuls. The dried 
sebaceous material can be seen around the follicular mouths, 
the scalp and skin also partaking of a common harshness and 
dryness. From the inflammatory process going on within the 
follicle, the normal secretion of the sebaceous glands is inter- 
fered with, and hence the oleaginous material is not thrown 
out in proper quantities to lubricate the shaft and scalp. It is 
most frequently seen in women and children. In the former it 
is undoubtedly induced by the unhygienic dressings that the 
hair is subjected to, such as close crimping, curling, etc. 

Treatment. If any of these " close crimpings " have been 
indulged in, a more rational method of dressing should be at 
once adopted. All other treatment necessary will be found 
under the head of Asteatodes. 

ALLOSTEATODES. 

Derivation. From the Greek a\\ol y meaning other, and 
Greap, fat; altogether, other fat, or an altered condition of the 
sebaceous secretion. 

Diagnosis. This is very easy, as it depends upon the altered 
color of the normal secretion of the hair follicles. When yel- 
low, it is called seborrhoea flavescens / when black, seborrhoea 
nigricans. When the secretion is altered in quantity, it may 
be either a case of Asteatodes, when it is less than normal, or 
Seborrhoea when it is secreted more profusely than is normal. 

Treatment. This is similar to that already detailed for 
Seborrhoea, or for Asteatodes, according to which of these 
diseases it may most resemble. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

ECZEMA. 

MILK CRUST. 
Synonyms. Scall; Tetter; Dandruff. 

Derivation. From the Greek £x-£siv ? meaning to boil out, 
to effervesce; is an eruption of small vesicles upon the skin. 

It will be noticed that dandruff is again spoken of because it 
is one of the most prominent symptoms of the complaint, 
though dandruff proper is far from being similar to the rebel- 
lious disease under consideration. 

Causes. Similar to that off dandruff and seborrhoea. Usu- 
ally the Eczema follows a prolonged attack of dandruff or 
seborrhoea; the two former, through personal negligence, 
almost surely lead to the latter. The Plica Polinica of the 
Poles is an exaggerated form of this personal negligence of an 
Eczema of the scalp. Formerly it was considered a disease 
per se; but it is not so; the knotted, matted and filthy condi- 
tion of the hair being due to the fact that the scalp and hair 
are not cleansed of the discharge from the Eczema, or sebor- 
rhoea, or both combined; this accumulates in quantity, retain- 
ing with it the dust, filaments, etc., from the air and clothing 
of the patient, and so gradually hardens down into a mass of 
decomposing, gluey-like, foully-smelling material, imprisoning 
the hairs with it. Of course combing then is out of the ques- 
tion; and so this state of affairs goes on from bad to worse, 
the mass furnishing harboring place for lice and spores of 
fungi, until a loathsomeness is developed that one would 
hardly believe possible among civilized races. 



MILK CKUST. 187 

Though the Poles have furnished the generic name for the 
disease, it is by no means confined to them. All the nations of 
northern Europe, whose habits are not overcleanly, are fre- 
quent subjects of the complaint. I have also seen it in our 
American families, where the charge of uncleanliness could 
hardly be brought upon the parents. The family physician, 
not understanding the nature of the trouble, had forbidden the 
proper use of those means calculated to keep the scalp and hair 
cleansed, and the result was a condition of affairs that would 
astonish one. Of course hair in this matted condition only 
keeps up and intensifies the irritation of the skin, and finally' 
induces, from this irritation, the death of the hair itself. 

Diagnosis. Eczema is a vesicular disease, accompanied by 
more or less infiltration or swelling of the diseased integument; 
gradually the vesicles or papules become hardened, and crusts 
or scales of a yellowish hue are thereby formed. When these 
crusts are removed a red (inflamed) base is seen, which may 
be either dry or moist; the former giving us our "dry tetter," 
the latter our " wet tetter." The disease, in all its stages and 
forms, is accompanied by almost intolerable itching, or burn- 
ing, or both combined. Attempting to ameliorate this symp- 
tom by scratching is only to enhance the trouble. 

To contra-distingush this complaint from pityriasis or sebor- 
rhea, see the chapters upon these topics. As a rule, however, 
the three diseases are united in the one individual at the same 
time, hence the symptoms of the three will be hopelessly com- 
mingled. The plica Polinica is but an advanced and neglected 
stage of Eczema, and is sufficiently easy to be diagnosed by 
the description of it just given. 

Treatment. Usually the complaint is a curable one, though 
the relapses are frequent, and it is oftentimes rebellious against 
the usual line of remedies used in these cases. As a rule, how- 



188 MILK CRUST. 

ever, it occurs in weakly, strumous children, hence a constitu- 
tional treatment of cod liver oil, iron, iodine and arsenic is 
demanded; the two former especially being indicated, and they 
can be pleasantly combined in the form of an emulsion, so that 
the young will make but little objection to taking them. If 
the bowels are not regular, attention should be paid thereto, 
giving oil, or epsom salts, as a cathartic, and the solution of 
citrate of magnesia, mornings, as a laxative, till the tendency to 
constipation be overcome. Oftentimes the torpor is due to a 
lack of proper nervous stimulus to the coats of the intestines; 
in these cases the following will be found of benefit: 

R\ Tr. nucis vomicae (tinct. nux vomica), 3 j (one drachm). 
Tr. belladonnae (tinct. belladonna) 3 ss, (half drachm). 
Fl. ext. ergotae (fluid ext. ergot), 1 j (one ounce). 
Fl. ext. glycyrrhizae (fluid ext. licorice), 1 iv (four ounces). 

M. S. Give of this a teaspoonful after meals to a child ten years of age; one- 
half teaspoonful to a child of five years of age. 

If the digestion is not good, this should also receive atten- 
tion. If acidity prevails, it should be corrected by some of the 
alkalies; as harmless as any is the ordinary baking soda, giv- 
ing as much as you can hold on the point of a knife (two or 
three grains), to a child of five years, after meals. If dyspep- 
sia, or non-digestion of food is present, a three-grain powder of 
lactopeptine, or five grains of. saccharated pepsine, combined 
with the soda, will be all that is usually required for a child 
of five years. 

Local Treatment. Here there is also quite a diversity of 
plans to be followed; but I have usually found a mild treat- 
ment superior to a harsh one. The following is what I have 
usually adopted, and, from experience, I have had no reason to 
change it very materially. 

Night and morning, after cleansing the scalp thoroughly 
with Castile soap-suds, and rinsing with warm water, I apply 



MILK CRUST. 189 

some mild ointment, the ceratum simplicis (simple cerate), or 
even oleum olivse (olive oil), for the first few days, till much 
of the severe inflammatory action is relieved; then, after this, 
I make use of the following unguent, applying it pretty freely, 
after each morning and evening scalp-washing: 

IJ. Picis liquids (tar), I j (1 ounce). 

01. betulse albas (oil white birch), 3 j (1 drachm). 

Adipis (lard), § j (1 ounce). 

Cerati simplicis (simple cerate), 3 j (1 ounce). 

M. Ft. unguent. 

The amount of tar is variable: in some verv severe cases I 



7 



do not use as much; in milder cases I use more in the same 
prescription. Constitutions seem to be differently affected by 
the tar and white birch oil, hence you have to watch it pretty 
closely, for a day or two, and if it occasions too much irritation, 
then the amount used in the prescription must be materially 
lessened. But usually the cases will bear it well in the pro- 
portion given. It smarts, if the skin be much broken, for the 
first few applications, hence, in young children, you have to 
take this into consideration; but this soon passes away. The 
relief from that severe, almost intolerable itching is so marked, 
on the .first application, that it goes far to assuage the little 
patient's resistance to subsequent applications. You need not 
be afraid to put it well over large tracts of the inflamed scalp, 
indeed over the whole head, if the skin be not much broken, 
fissured or cracked, in cases that will bear the tar, so far as 
fearing any poisonous effect from the tar is concerned. I have 
frequently applied it over nearly the lohole body in children 
afflicted with a general eczema, and with no deleterious conse- 
quences, save that of momentary pain at the instant of appli- 
cation. 

In the great majority of cases this treatment for a few 



190 PLICA POLINICA. 

we^s, ending up with a milder ointment of the tar and white 
birch oil, and finally with the simple cerate or oil again, will 
be all that will be required; especially when it has been accom- 
panied with the proper internal use of tonics and blood-build- 
ing remedies. It should be borne in mind that the ointment 
will stain the clothing; hence I always advise cloth caps to be 
worn over the head, day and night, and a piece of oil silk to 
be used to protect the pillow. In some severe cases an oil silk 
cap will be found of service in depleting the infiltrated corium, 
by the continual sweating it keeps up; this is especially useful 
at the beginning of the treatment, especially if the crusts are 
hard, and firmly attached to the hair and scalp. Soaking them 
in oil, as recommended in the chapter on seborrhcea, combined 
with the oil-silk cap, will be found oftentimes useful. 

You' should use only the gentlest force, at first, in detaching 
the debris that gathers %'in the form of crusts and scales upon 
the head in this disease; let the oil and soap rather dissolve it 
down, then rinse it all away with effusions of water. The 
scalp 'should know now experimentally of the "milk of human 
kindness," if it never knew of it before. 

PLICA POLINICA. 

In case Plica Polinica should be a complication, the best way 
is to clip all the hair involved off close to the scalp, so as to 
remove the whole mass of decomposing sebum, etc., at once. By 
using sharp scissors this can be done nearly as closely to the scalp 
as by razor. But by no means have this shaving attempted, 
as it only afflicts needless pain upon the patient, and you gain 
nothing over the close and careful scissoring. Bear in mind 
you have an intensely inflamed surface to deal with. Of 
course, if the microscope shows the hairs and their follicles to 
have become parasitically infected, then, for a time, harsh 



PLICA POLINICA. 191 

measures, as epilation, and the application of parasiticides is 
indicated, and your treatment must be varied accordingly. 
But these, so extreme, cases are rarely met with in our coun- 
try, hence the more conservative treatment is usually indicated. 

Sometimes, if the case is quite rebellious, an alternative 
treatment is called for. It is well known that medicines, given 
internally, will, when long continued, apparently lose their 
customary efficacy; in the local application of them the same 
phenomenon is noticed, hence by alternating the above tar and 
white birch oil ointment, with one of astringent properties, 
much time may be saved. Thus the officinal ointment of tan- 
nic acid, or one of gallic acid, of the strength of a drachm of 
the acid to the ounce of simple cerate, combined with the 
glandular alterative, iodine, in the amount of ten or twenty 
grains to the ounce, may be employed. The officinal white 
precipitate ointment (unguentum hydargyri ammoniati), or 
the citrine ointment (ung. hydarg. nitratis) — this last diluted 
Avith simple cerate, if much surface is to be covered — will also 
be found of use to stimulate the cutaneous glands. Red pre- 
cipitate ointment (ung. hydarg. oxidi rubri) also diluted, say 
with seven parts of lard, will be found of service if there is 
but little abrasion of the cuticular surface. After employing 
these various "resolving" ointments for a while, then return 
to the tar and white birch oil ointment, and it will seem to 
work with new efficacy. 

Cases may be found where, from some idiosyncrasy, this 
treatment may even prove too irritating, and so defeat the 
result sought. These cases are, however, rare. When such are 
found, after the crusts are thoroughly removed by the oil 
inunctions, a hot water treatment (being careful to always use 
soft water, as hard water contains substances irritating to an 
eczematous surface), may be for a time instituted; that is, 



192 PLICA P0L1NICA. 

keep the parts well fomented for a few days, till the more 
acute symptoms are abated. To these hot (100° to 112° Fahr.) 
water dressings, a few grains of alum, sulphate of zinc or cop- 
per, or acetate of lead may be added; say, not to exceed the 
strength of from ten to fifteen grains to the pint. Sometimes 
a little bicarbonate of soda, added to the water, will be found a 
grateful application. Then an ointment of oxide of zinc (the 
officinal ung. zinci oxidi) may be applied, or the common 
linimentum calcis, made of equal parts of lime water and 
linseed, or sweet oil. After a time stronger astringents may 
be used in the ointment base. If the pain is, at any time, very 
severe, the sulphate of morphia may be incorporated in the 
body of the ointment or wash. 

Powders will sometimes be found of service in these cases; 
though they are open to the objection of aiding in the forma- 
tion of crusts. These are the simple lycopodium powder, oxide 
of zinc, starch, etc.; or these various powders may be combined 
with camphor and some astringent, as: 

ty. Camphorae (camphor), 3 ss (half drachm). 
Alcoholis (alcohol),' q. s. (sufficient quantity). 
Zinci oxidi (oxide of zinc), 3 j (1 drachm). 
Amyli (pure starch), § j (1 ounce). 

Misce (mix) S. (label). Dusting powder. 

When glycerine is not irritating to an individual's skin, the 
following lotion will be found an eligible preparation: 

fy. Acid hydrocyanici dil. (dilute Prussic acid), 3 j (1 drachm). 
Bismuthi subnit., 3 ij/2 drachms). 
Aquae rosae (rose water). 
Glycerinae (glycerine), aa. (of each) % ij (2 ounces). 

Misce (mix.) 

The green soap lotion spoken of in the chapter on Seborrhoea 
will also be found of benefit in certain rebellious cases; espe- 
cially those of long standing, where there is much cellular infil- 



PLICA POLIXICA. 193 

tration of the skin. Sometimes a blister of cantharides plaster, 
applied to a thickened and indolent eczematous scalp-surface, 
will be found to increase its healing wonderfully; or course the 
hair must be closely shaven in these cases, and the blister must 
not be left on long enough to destroy the papillae of the hair. 
Carbolic acid, the strength of one drachm to the ounce of 
simple unguent, will also be found an efficacious application. 
I have sometimes combined it with the tar ointment, in place of 
the white birch oil spoken of previously in this chapter. 

All of these cases of Eczema of the hairy surfaces will be 
found to tax the patience of both the patient and physician, 
from the frequent relapses to which they are liable, unless the 
time of treatment is prolonged beyond the time of absolute 
healing; hence it is well to keep pretty close watch of the 
patient for several weeks, or months even, after the disease has, 
to all appearances, been successfully overcome. 

13 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

SYCOSIS MEOTI, Acne and Rupia Syphilitica. 

FALSE BARBER'S ITCH. 
Synonyms. Mentagra, Sycosis barbae, Acne mentagra. 

Derivation. ~2vkgdgi1 meaning a tig-like excrescence, and 
menti "of the chin;" a fig-like excrescence of the chin. 

Cause. This, at present, is not definitely known. Hebra 
thinks it may be due to a premature development of a new 
hair in the follicle before the old one has fallen out. Other 
dermatologists look upon it as caused by a disproportion in the 
diameter of the hair-shaft and the follicle, w 7 hich, by its over-dis- 
tention, causes inflammation of the follicle. There is no doubt 
that prolonged exposure to heat or cold, combined with the 
irritation from shaving with dull razors, has much to do with 
the development of this disease. A dull razor is, perhaps, the 
commonest cause of all, for, drawing inordinately upon a hair 
of the beard, it will partially loosen the hold of the root from 
the papilla, thus allowing a minute extravasation of blood, and 
inducing, consequently, a circumscribed inflammatory action at 
the base of the follicle; this repeated frequently, as the shav- 
ing is demanded, finally leads to the inflammation of the whole 
follicle and the contiguous integument. 

Diagnosis. A pustular inflammation of the hairy portion of 
the face, of the eyebrows, and of the hairy mucous membrane 
of the nose, w T ith a hair piercing each pustule, are its anatomical 
characteristics. It begins with a feeling of fullness and of heat 
in the parts, soon followed by pain. The root of a hair, from an 



FALSE BARBER'S ITCH. 195 

affected follicle, when drawn out, is found swollen from the 
amount of pus-cells infiltrated in its fibrous and medullary por- 
tion, and also from over-supply of hair cells, formed by the 
irritated papilla through excess of blood supply. At first this 
condition is confined to small and sharply circumscribed por- 
tions of the face producing hair; but as the disease advances, 
instead of single pustules here and' there, with reddened and 
infiltrated bases, the nearest ones coalesce so that you may 
have three or four follicles partaking in the formation of a 
common abscess. The discharge at this time is apt to be pro- 
fuse and somewhat watery, the pus being quite thin, in this 
respect resembling an eczematous discharge, although never so 
abundant as seen in this last-mentioned disease. From this 
discharge crusts are formed, the. watery element being evapor- 
ated, which give a loathsome look to the party afflicted. 

It will be necessary to distinguish this complaint from the 
parasitical one, which it quite closely resembles; this, of course, 
can only be done by the use of the microscope. If the fun- 
goid growth is found, it settles the diagnosis at once. For 
farther points of difference between the parasitical and non- 
parasitical sycosis, or mentagra, the reader is referred to Chap- 
ter XXIII. 

Eczema is another disease with which this complaint might 
be confounded. But in eczema you have that profuse watery 
discharge, with intolerable itching, to help in a differential 
diagnosis. When, however, the patient is seen only in the 
" crusty " stage of Sycosis these symptoms are not so promi- 
nent; you have to rely on the history of the case somewhat, also 
remembering that eczema extends to hairless portions of the 
face or neck, whereas Sycosis does not. Still, there are stages 
of the complaint when the two diseases are so closely com- 
mingled that it is impossible to make a distinction between 



196 FALSE BARBER'S ITCH. 

them, the eczema following closely upon the Sycosis, as a 
result of its ravages. The treatment, however, would be 
almost the same in these aggravated cases, hence an error in 
diagnosis here, so far as benefit to the patient is concerned, 
would be of no special moment. 

Acne is another one of the diseases with which this trouble 
may be confounded, in its earlier stages; but when it is remem- 
bered that acne is a much milder disease, is seen mostly in 
patients at the age of puberty, and that there is much less dis- 
charge, and much less skin infiltration, it can be readily distin- 
guished. 

Impetigo is another so-called disease that is apt to be mis- 
taken for Sycosis. Impetigo does not produce baldness as does 
Sycosis, and then, too, it is rarely seen on the face, then the 
crusts are thin, soft and readily loosened from their base, which 
has not that "eaten" appearance of Sycosis. The pustular 
stage of eczema is really what has been denominated impetigo 
by most authorities. 

Rupia syphilitica is another disease to be differentiated; a 
history of previous exposure to the specific contagion, with 
secondary symptoms arising therefrom, will be sufficient to put 
one on his guard in making a distinction between the two. 
The crusts in rupia are much thicker, conical in fact, and when 
removed have a specific ulcer at the base. There is not so 
much general irritation of the skin, swelling and engorgement, 
as in the complaint in question. 

Treatment. The old doctors, Aetius, Paulus iEgineta and 
Celsus, recognized this disease, but their method of treatment 
was not one to be generally commended. 

The first thing to be done is to remove the crusts. This is 
best accomplished by macerating them in olive oil, and then 
remove by washing with soap. This done, the hairs should be 



FALSE BAEBEK'S ITCH. 197 

pulled out from the diseased follicles, for when diseased the 
hairs themselves become sources of irritation, from their 
increased size, and so but " add fuel to the flame." It is usu- 
ally not a very painful operation to remove the diseased hairs 
from their follicles, as nature has already, through a process of 
suppuration partially, if not entirely, detached them from their 
papillae and inner follicular membrane. A pair of tweezers is 
the handiest thing to use in this little surgical procedure. 

Sometimes patients may object to this, on the ground of fear 
that the hair will not be renewed. But they can safely assure 
themselves that this is the only way to preserve the growth of 
their hair, for in this operation you remove, as in parasitically 
diseased hairs, only diseased tissue; the papillae, or hair-building 
portion, remaining alive and intact, unless the inflammatory 
process has been of so long standing as to destroy both the 
hair and papillae. 

After removal of the crusts and diseased hairs, and much 
swelling or infiltration is noticed in the skin, a short period of 
poulticing will be in order, the cataplasma lini (ordinary lin- 
seed meal poultice) being as good as any. The ordinary appli- 
cations to be made afterwards being some sulphur, iodine or 
mercuric ointment; thus: 

R\ Sulphur precip. (flowers of sulphur), 3j (1 scruple). 
Iodinii (iodine), grs. x (10 grains). 
Ung. zinci oxidi (oxide of zinc ointment), § iss (l^j ounces). 

M. S. Apply twice daily to the affected parts. 

Or— 

R\ Hydrargyri ox. rub. (red precipitate), grs. viij (8 grains). 
Cerati simp, (simple cerate), 3 j (1 ounce). 

M. S. Apply twice daily. 

Should the parts not readily respond to this treatment, it 
would do no hurt to try the parasitical one, for fear that the 



198 ACNE. 

disease really might have the cryptogam as its cause. In this 
case the sulphurous acid application, described in the chapter 
devoted to Tinea, or parasitical, Sycosis, would be the best to 
use. 

As the disease advances toward cure milder ointments might 
be used, as the unguentum diachyli albi, or unguentum zinci 
oxidi (oxide of zinc ointment), spread to the thickness of a 
knife blade on a piece of old linen, and then applied. 

Should the general health suffer, then this should be attended 
to as the symptoms may demand. 

ACNE. 

There has undoubtedly been a stereotyped error in the spell- 
ing of the name of this disease, as it comes plainly from the 
Greek au/xr/ (acme); the old Greeks thought the disease 
occurred only at the acme of the system, hence its name. 

Diagnosis. This disease is an inflammation of the sebaceous 
and hair follicles, caused by the retained sebum, or proper excre- 
mentary material of the follicle. We can have three stages 
of this complaint: 

1st. That of simply retained secretion with no inflammatory 
action, a comedo or little plug then being formed. It is then 
known as acne punctata. 

2d. That of inflammatory action in the follicle, but with no 
infiltration or swelling of the integument. It is known as 
acne vulgaris, or acne simplex. 

3d. That of inflammatory action in the follicle, with infil- 
tration and swelling of the integumentary structures. It is 
known as acne indurata. 

These three stages of acne may be seen upon the face of the 
young adults of either sex. It commences about the time of 
puberty, and may be quite rebellious to treatment. It is seen 



ACXE. 199 

more frequently upon the breast and back than upon the face, 
and is rarely upon the latter without having previously been 
upon the former. The reason that it attacks those just reach- 
ing puberty is that at this time of life the hair and sebaceous 
follicles are in their most active condition. The young man, 
who is most frequently afflicted with this cosmetic trouble, is 
then just " growing his beard," one full of promises, may be, 
so it is kept continually encouraged by the irritating razor. 
Irritating cosmetics, as face-powders, face-washes, etc., are 
also equally common causes. So, too, sudden changes from a 
high to a low temperature, or vice versa. The hyperemia 
induced by this irritation only helps on the active state of the 
already over-active glands, and soon the sebaceous material 
loses its proper consistency and it is retained. Meanwhile the 
sebum-forming glands are still throwing out an abundance of 
excretory material, through the increased afflux of blood to the 
parts, and so a bad matter is constantly made worse, until, 
finally, a small point ulcerates, and this allows a free discharge 
of the retained, and often decomposed, fluid. When the dis- 
ease becomes quite general over one portion of the body, the 
points of inflammation coalesce, and you get the indurated 
condition — acne indurata. 

In these last two stages the disease much resembles Sycosis 
Menti, just described, and impetigo. For discussion further 
upon this you are referred to page 196. It may be well to 
mention again that acne is very rarely seen in those wearing 
beards; it is before the beard begins to be of much growth 
that it is chiefly witnessed. 

Treatment. For the treatment of the second and third stages 
the reader is referred to that given for eczema, and to that 
recommended for Sycosis Menti. For the first stage to that 
given for seborrhoea, which the disease greatly resembles, and 



200 IMPETIGO. 

is so classed by some authors. It may be well to add that 
when these hard pimples form they should be opened with a 
fine cambric needle at the top, so as to allow the escape of the 
imprisoned sebum; after this is done, washing with soap, with 
a shampooing process, followed by brisk rubbings with a 
coarse towel, will be found to favor a free discharge of the 
obnoxious contents of the follicular cyst, thus saving an ulcer- 
ative process (one leaving little pits or scars) upon the face. 
As a lotion some slightly astringent one, as the following, may 
be recommended: 

3$. Acidi tannici (tannic acid), 3 iv (four drachms). 
Glycerinse (glycerine), §j (ounce). 
Aquae rosee (rose water), § j (one ounce). 
Spr. myrciae (bay- rum), 1 j (one ounce). 

M. S. Use freely. 

As a dressing at night, the officinal oxide of zinc ointment 
(unguentum zinci oxidi) might be smeared over the face, or 
this ointment combined with some astringent, as the following: 

1$. Unguenti zinci oxidi, § ij (two ounces). 

Acidi gallici (gallic acid), 3 ij (two drachms). 
Potassii iodidi (iodide of potash), 3 ij (two drachms). 

The diet should be seen to in most of these cases; an abstemi- 
ous one being generally followed. Cathartics, among the best 
being the Hunyadi water, or the ordinary epsom salts, taking a 
dessertspoonful in a half teacup of cold water before breakfast, 
and diuretics are also required in a certain class of plethoric 
cases. 

IMPETIGO. 

Diagnosis. What is ordinarily known as impetigo is really, 
in most cases, but a pustular form of eczema; yet as most 
authorities upon skin diseases have retained the name, I have 
also done so. As to the diagnosis and treatment of the trouble 



RUPIA SYPHILITICA. 201 

sufficient information has been given in the chapters upon 
Eczema and Tinea Sycosis. 

RUPIA SYPHILITICA. 

Diagnosis. This complaint, when fully developed, can hardly 
be confounded with Sycosis. The scales, or crusts, are too 
isolated, and are, also, so prominently conical; then, too, they 
are found on other portions of the face than where the beard is 
found; neither are they confined to the hair follicles, when 
found among the eyebrows or beard. The history of the 
patient will plainly point to an infection months before. The 
treatment of this complaint is not in place in this treatise, and 
should be undertaken, as indeed all the severer forms of the 
diseases of the hairy portion of the head, only by a competent 
practitioner. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



DERMATOPHYTE DISEASES IN GENERAL. 



VEGETABLE PAEASITIC DISEASES. 

Derivation. The term dermatoj^hytic, as used to denote 
vegetable parasitical skin diseases, is derived from the two 
Greek words, depfxa, skin, and ipvrov, plant; meaning skin- 
plant, in its noun-adjective use. 

Description. Chemically we find that these fungi contain no 
starch or chlorophyll, but that they abound in nitrogenous 
elements. This is characteristic of all mycological growths. 
The algae, their allied vegetable forms, contain a substance that 
changes to blue on the addition of a soluble 
iodide, thus showing the presence of a substance 
similar to starch. 

They are all microscopical growths, some of 
them needing the highest powers to bring them 
out well. They are found to consist of: 

1st. The mycelium ; these are fine, hair-like 
filaments that form, as it were, the roots of the 
fungus, as represented in the cut. Sometimes 
these are pointed, resembling more a long, 
narrow-linked chain. The contents of these 
mycelial threads are generally granules and cells, 
though usually these are not very abundant. 
The threads interlace each other frequently, so 
much so that it is hard to follow a single one, 
for any great distance, without getting it con- 
fused with its fellows. They are usually about 
the diameter of a red blood-corpuscle. They are also fre- 




VEGETABLE PARASITIC DISEASES. 203 



quently subject to quite prominent enlargements, as is seen in 
figure 26. These bulb-like growths on the mycelial threads are 
known as macro-conidia. 

2d. The hyphen ; this is an upwardly-shooting growth from 
the mycelium, which it resembles in size, and every way, save 
that the jointings are, at times, more prominently marked. It 
serves the purpose of a stem on w T hich the conidia may ripen. 

3d. The conidia; these are the bodies that are generally 
called spores; they are usually seen united together in chains 
(sjjoridia), as at d in the cut; though w r hen fully "ripe," each 
becomes detached from the other. They are very small, 
usually not over the one-four-thousandth or the one-five-thou- 
sandth of an inch in diameter. Each, spore has a composite 
structure, having outer and inner coats inclosing a fluid body. 
Frequently they may show" a nucleus and granular matter; 
sometimes they may be constricted at the middle. Though 
these may be popularly called seeds, yet they are not such in 
a strictly scientific sense; they are more properly bidbs, as they 
are not produced by any sexual function, there being no sexu- 
ality, apparently, in the plants. Being so small, they are very 
light and float easily in the atmosphere. This is the chief form 
of contagion for these cryptogamic growths. Air from a room 
where many favus patients have congregated will yield these 
sporules in abundance; hold a piece of cold glass — so mois- 
ture will condense upon it — for a short time above the head of 
a patient afflicted with these parasitic diseases, and, on micro- 
scopical examination, it will be found to have been frequently 
visited by these cryptogamic bulbs. 

4th. Stroma ; these consist of a large number of very 
small cells, much smaller than the conidia, with which the 
ripened conidia and macro-conidia seem to be filled. Leastwise, 
I look upon them as being the fruit of a ripened conidium, and 



204: VEGETABLE PARASITIC DISEASES. 

being discharged from the same through bursting of the 
parental coatings. 

Growth. These plants are produced by the mycelial threads, 
or conidia, getting upon fertile ground; by this I mean upon 
persons living in dark, damp dwellings (for heat and moisture 
are the two prime factors favoring mold-growths of all kinds), 
and whose habits are not over-cleanly; also by getting upon 
the bodies of persons whose health is broken down, the skin 
thereby being impaired, and hence more easily penetrated by 
the mycelial threads sprouting from the conidia, or from the 
transplantation of the threads themselves. The plants also 
thrive upon abraded surfaces of persons in good health, the 
heat of the body, moisture from the serum poured out, and 
the easy access to a hair follicle, through the denudation of 
the scaly layer of the epithelium, favoring the cryptogam's 
speedy growth. 

The reason why more people are not afflicted with these 
parasitical diseases, as myriads of spores capable of fruiting 
are constantly in the air of the affected regions, is that soap 
and frictions, from clothing and towels, and the like, are 
destructive to their growth, through the mechanical process of 
constantly brushing them from our bodies, and breaking off the 
hyphens when ready to send out their conidia and sporidia. 

The disease is, then, propagated by actual contact with an 
afflicted individual, which results in the transplantation of the 
mycelial threads, conidia or stroma; or by means of the 
spores (conidia or stroma) in the atmosphere; or the spores 
being conveyed to the individual by means of the clothing. 

There is another source, other than our fellow men, and our 
domestic animals, from which we may take these vegetable 
parasitical diseases, and that is from the conidia from the com- 
mon mould of decaying vegetables. The penicilium glaucum, 



VEGETABLE PARASITIC DISEASES. 205 

or the common white mould, which is figured upon page 202, 
seems fairly to be the progenitor of most of our other moulds, 
and, when favorably transplanted to our skins and hair follicles, 
will develop info some one of the cryptogams which we find 
infesting these localities. Leastwise, the different varieties of 
vegetable moulds are interchangeable; the resulting variety, 
after transplantation, being due more to the conditions of the 
soil to which it is transferred than to the fungi from which it 
was derived. So, too, the parasites from our hair follicles, if 
transferred to decaying vegetable matter, will take on a form of 
growth characteristic of the mould fungus of the plant on 
which it thrives. Halliere and several others have found the 
parasite from favus (the achorion Schonleinii), when trans- 
planted to slices of apples, lemons and other succulent plants, 
as well as to albumen and blood, to produce the veritable peni- 
cilium just described. Then, too, it is well understood that 
several of our skin vegetable-parasites are interchangeable 
among themselves; hence it is no more than fair to suppose 
the near kinship of all animal and vegetable fungi. 

Effects. The effects of these different cryptogamic growths 
on our bodies are specifically given in the several following 
chapters. In general, though, we find them producing great 
irritation of the skin, drying up and splitting of the hairs, or the 
total uprooting of them, with, finally, permanent baldness and 
shrinking or cicatricial hardening of the skin. Accompanying 
these various stages are constitutional disturbances calling, 
frequently, for a prolonged use of sedatives or tonics, or both 
combined. 

Diagnosis. This, excepting in a general way, can be made 
only by a careful microscopical examination of some of the 
debris from the affected locality. In making this examination 



206 VEGETABLE PARASITIC DISEASES. 

care should be used lest we be misled by some of the physio- 
logical elements to be found in the same locality. 

The crust, or hair, should be placed under as favorable a con- 
dition as possible for examination. If a crust} 'a small portion 
should be soaked in a little ether, so as remove all the fatty 
particles, and then to this, after drying, add a small quantity 
of water, so as to soften it well down; then remove to the 
glass slide, and cover with the thin glass. Be as chary of 
manipulation as possible, for you are otherwise apt to break 
the mycelium and chains of conidia. 

If a hair, it should be plucked from a diseased follicle, and 
soaked in ether, to remove all fat cells, then receive a wash- 
ing, and then be covered with diluted liquor potassse, so as to 
render the hair-cylinder transparent. It should be handled 
carefully, and as little pressure as possible should be used in 
getting it ready for the microscope. 

In making the examination you have to remember, 

1st. That the conidia may be mistaken, when seen singly, 
for blood discs, fat cells, the granular matter of pus, or the 
free nuclei of epithelial cells and the granular matter from the 
same. You make your differentiation by the use of reagents, 
which have no effect upon the conidia. Chloroform, ether, or 
alcohol dissolves fat cells, and render epithelium transparent. 
Ammonia will dissolve pus cells, and will but slightly affect 
the conidia, the only effect being to render them a little more 
transparent. Crusts, hair, fat, pus and epithelium are dissolved 
in a hot potash solution. Then, too, conidia are constant as to 
size, being smaller than a blood-disc, whereas fat cells vary a 
good deal in their size. The most common error will be to 
diagnose an epithelial cell, in a state of fatty degeneration, as 
a cell invaded by stray sporules. 

2d. The mycelium may sometimes be mistaken for filaments 



VEGETABLE PARASITIC DISEASES. 207 

from the clothing, though this would be hardly possible if it 
were well developed. Then, too, a hair may become roughened 
so that one of the slivers might be, at first, taken for a myce- 
lial thread, or a broken hyphen; then the imbrications of the 
hair scales, as seen on page 34, have much the appearance of 
mycelial threads running in a zigzag course across the diameter 
of the hair-cylinder. This can be differentiated by the use of 
liquor potassse, which has no action on the cryptogamic growth. 

3d. The stroma, or breeding cells from the conidia, may be 
present and overlooked, from the fact that a high enough 
power is not employed. Still, an eighth objective, with ordi- 
nary handling, will show them nicely. Then, too, they may 
be mistaken for fat granules; but the action of ether upon fat 
will be sufficient to diagnose them from the fatty particles. 

Again, these, or the conidia, may be j^resent in so small a 
quantity as to render the examination unsatisfactory. In this 
case, give the plant a little growing season, as a few days 
sojourn in a little glycerine and water, and then examine again. 
Ordinarily, it will be found to have increased rapidly in size 
and in the number of its elements. 

Treatment. In general, we have to aim to kill the parasite, 
and the quickest Avay to do this is by the aid, in the severer 
cases, of strong parasiticides, preceded by epilation of the dis- 
eased hairs. This last process, the plucking out of the diseased 
hairs, may be objected to on the part of the patient, fearing 
lest they will not come in again. You can assure him, though, 
that all fear on this score is groundless, unless the disease has 
gone so far as to destroy the hair papillae; in this case the hair 
will have already been shed. 

A Russian physician, Stroganor, has paid special attention 
to the rejuvenation of hair, after its epilation, and these are his 
conclusions: 1. Hairs epilated usually break off before the 



208 VEGETABLE PARASITIC DISEASES. 

bulb is reached, and very rarely at the junction of the bulb 
with the papillae. 2. When the hairs are broken off at the 
papilla?, that is with the bulb completely extracted, young 
pigment cells are found at the surface of the papillae on the 
third to the fifth day after epilation, and by the end of the 
third to the fifth week have filled the follicle completely, but 
it is some time thereafter before the hair is completely formed. 
On the contrary, when hairs are removed, the bulb remaining, 
the rejuvenation is much more rapid, and if the bulb, not a por- 
tion of the shaft, is left, the process of renewal is still more 
rapid. 



CHAPTER XX. 

TINEA TONSURANS (ringworm of the scalp). 
Synonym. Herpes tonsurans. 

Derivation. From the Latin tinea, meaning a moth or wood- 
worm; and, tonsurans, from the verb tondeo, meaning to clip, 
shave, or cut. 

Description. This contagious scalp disease belongs, ordi- 
narily, to the period of childhood. It is a local, and not a con- 
stitutional disease; hence, the health of the patient is not 
usually affected. As it is a vegetable parasitical disease, it 
must, of course, find more fertile ground for its development 
in those of vitiated constitution, and those dwelling in damp 
and not over-cleanly apartments, and whose personal habits are 
not of the neatest. 

It is a contagious disease, spreading by contact, as well as 
by the means of sporules conveyed through the air. Hence, 
when in asylums and retreats, and boarding-schools, all the 
inmates are apt to be affected. 

Cause. This disease is produced by the trichophyton (Opii;, 
hair, and q)vrov, & plant, "a hair plant ") tonsurans, meaning 
as above given. The name was first given it by Malmsten. 
The filaments (mycelia) of the fungus are made up of a 
concatenated series of elongated cells, holding granular matter; 
these are very limited in number, the great bulk of the 
fungus consisting of spores. These exist in great numbers, 
and permeate the hair shaft, hair bulb, hair follicle and 
epidermis. The mycelial threads run lengthwise of the shaft, 

14 



210 



RINGWORM OF THE SCALP. 



displacing the fibres of the fibrous portion, and are especially 
prolific at the root, as more moisture is there. Conidia and 
spores are, then, given off profusely, and this gives the swell- 
ing seen in 
the hair shaft 
of a diseased 
specimen. 

Figure 27 
gives a good 
microscopic 
view of a hair- 
shaft permeat- 
ed with this 
fungus. The 
spores, which 
are seen in 
such vast num- 
bers, are very 
minute, being 
but the g^Vo- 
to the -g-J w of 

an inch in diameter, and are frequently nucleated. Sometimes, 
when a suspected hair is placed under a microscope, the fungus 
is not discovered; in these cases some reagent, as a weak 
solution of liquor potassas, should be dropped upon the speci- 
men, when the sporules will become quite visible. 

Figure 28 shows a hair just beginning to become affected 
with the disease. A mycelial thread is seen standing off from 
the hair bulb, surmounted by the conidia and fruiting spores, 
with groups of fruitful spores upon the hair cylinder itself. 
The "seeds" of the fungus are these little spores, which may 
be conveyed by the wind or clothing from one head to another; 




Fig. ar. 



RINGWORM OF THE SCALP. 



211 




Fig. 28. 



they, the spores, lodging upon the scalp of their new victim, 
find means of sustenance 
between the loose epi- 
thelial scales of the scarf- 
skin, or in the hair folli- 
cles, and hence soon take 
root and grow. 

Persons afflicted with 
Tinea Tonsurans, usu- 
ally have other " ring- 
worms " (herpes circi- 
n a t u s) ontlie body. 
The two diseases spring 
from the same parasite, 
but the conditions of its 
growth being different 
on the body, there finding a poor supply of hair follicles, etc., it 
does not reach so perfect, or mature, if you please, develop- 
ment as when on the scalp. The tAvo diseases, though, are quite 
readily interchangeable. 

Diagnosis. The hair, in spots varying in size from a half- 
inch to two inches in diameter, becomes dry and harsh, and 
lusterless, and finally either breaks off or falls out. On exam- 
ining the skin of these bald places, a fine, branny, scaly dandruff 
is noticed, that is easily removed. Sometimes a slight vesi- 
cular eruption is noticed during the first stages. There is a 
certain amount of itching present, owing to the irritation of 
the continually-growing fungus in the hair follicle. When- 
ever, therefore, upon the scalp this " stubby " condition of the 
hairs, in spots, with a furfuraceous desquamation, is seen, some 
of the diseased hairs and epithelial scales should be at once 
subjected to a microscopic examination, in order to determine 



212 RINGWORM OF THE SCALP. 

positively if it be not a parasitical disease that is affecting the 
scalp. The stumps of the hairs left in the follicles, if bent, 
show no inclination to return to their ordinary erect position. 
The hair follicles are also slightly enlarged and pointed, and the 
cuticle proper may be reddened, or of an ashy gray color. If 
there has been much irritation with the nails, or other irritants, 
an eczematous condition may be added to the symptoms com- 
mon to Tinea Tonsurans. 

Treatment. This really divides itself into three heads: 1st, 
The prevention of the growth of the parasite, by altering the 
soil so as to render it less favorable for production. 2d, The 
destruction of the parasite proper. 3d, The relief of the 
symptoms consequent upon its visitation. 

The first is met by removing the child afflicted to more 
healthy quarters, if his present ones be damp and musty, a con- 
dition favorable for the development of all fungi. Then give 
him good, nourishing food, in which fatty substances may pre- 
dominate, for, as a rule, children subject to this disorder shun 
fatty articles of food; if need be, order cod-liver oil, sweet 
cream, beef marrow, and the like, for it is the pale-faced, 
lymphatic child that is most often subject to this parasite. 
Appetite is apt to be impaired, and the bowels somewhat 
torpid in these cases, hence these should be attended to by 
the administration of proper tonics. As good as any is the 
following: 

^. Tr. cinchonae comp. (compound tincture of cinchona), 1 ij (2 ounces). 
Syr. rhei (rhubarb syrup), I j (1 ounce). 
Ferri citratis (citrate of iron), 3 ij (2 drachms). 
Syr. limonis (syrup of lemons), 3 vj (6 drachms). 

M. S. Teaspoonful, in a little water, just before meals. 

If digestion is impaired, a formula like the following would 
be indicated: 



RINGWOBM OF THE SCALP. 213 

1$. Elixiris pepsinae, strych. et bismuthi (elixir pepsine, strychnia and bismuth), 
§ij (2 ounces). 
Extracti malti (extract of malt), § ij (2 ounces). 

M. S. Teaspoonful one-half hour after meals. 

As the disease is communicated by " mangy " animals, if a cat 
or dog be about the premises that is thus afflicted, it is best to 
make way with it at once. 

The second indication is met by the use of parasiticides of 
various kinds. But, first of all, do not trust the cure to the 
application of domestic remedies; more hurt, than good, arises 
from this treatment, as a rule. 

The hair should be closely cut over the diseased portions of 
the scalp, and for some distance around; it is not necessary to 
have the scalp shaved. Epilation, if the case be very severe, 
should then be made of all the diseased hair stumps and hairs. 
If this should be so very painful, the scalp, unless badly 
irritated, might be lightly blistered (of course, not covering 
a large extent of the scalp surface at any one sitting), which 
will render the process more easily to be borne. It is really 
essential that this epilation shall be thoroughly done, in rebel- 
lious cases, as each diseased hair, or stump, is fertile breeding- 
ground for the spores (seeds) of the parasite. In milder, and 
more recent, cases this epilatory process is not so urgently 
indicated. Of course, from the brittleness of the diseased 
hairs, this will be a somewhat tedious process, as many of them 
will break off close to the scalp. In such cases, wait a week or 
so until the hair has grown out again, when renew your efforts. 
Even though you do not remove all the diseased hair, you need 
not be discouraged, for although you remove but a portion of 
a shaft each time, the aggregate amount of all the shafts 
removed lessens, vastly, the amount of diseased breeding sur- 
face left. After this process of epilation has been gone 



214 RINGWORM OF THE SCALP. 

through with, the application of the parasiticide is in order. 
This may be the "potash soap," previously spoken of, which 
may be allowed to dry on and left for a while, or vigorous 
frictions of the alkaline spirit of soap (page 179), might be 
employed, if the case be not a severe one. The mercuric 
bichloride wash is also another favorite with many jDracti- 
tioners; this may vary from four to twenty grains of the 
bichloride of mercury to the ounce of water, or ointment, in 
strength. As it is very poisonous, care must be had that it is 
not applied too freely to abraded surfaces. 

My favorite remedy is carbolic acid, combined or not with 
tr. iodinii, as the case may demand, as the following: 

R\ Acidi carbolici (carbolic acid), 1 ss Q4 ounce). 
Glycerinss (glycerine), §j(l ounce). 

M. S. Local. 

Apply this daily with thorough friction, if need be, for a 
few days. If iodine is to be used, then add to the above: 

Tr. iodinii, 3 ij (2 drachms). 

By Tilbury Fox, the following has been highly recommended; 
it is known as "Caster's salve" in England: 

fy. Iodinii (iodine), 3 j to ij (1 or 2 drachms). 

01. picis liquidse (oil of tar, colorless), % j (1 ounce). 

M. S. External. 

Six applications are said to be sufficient. 

As a dressing for the patient to use daily, the following 
might be recommended: 

R\ Sodii hyposulph. (hyposulphite of soda), ^j (1 ounce). 
Liq. potassas (liquor potassa), 3 ij (2 drachms). 
Olei olivse (sweet oil), § ij (2 ounces). 
Aquse (water), 1 iv (4 ounces). 

The soda to be dissolved in the water first, then the oil, to 
which the potash has been added, to be slowly added to the 



RINGWORM OF THE SCALP. 215 

water, the whole being well shaken together at the time of 
mixing and at each time of using. If a few drops of oil of 
rose, or oil of sandal wood, be added to the olive oil, it makes 
quite a nicely perfumed dressing. This is to be applied once 
or twice a day. 

A weak carbolic acid solution, with a little oil added, is also 
a good daily dressing. The oil is quite an important ingredient, 
as it prevents, in a certain measure, the free distribution of the 
spores about the apartment in which the patient lives, thus 
lessening the chance of giving the disease to others. 

After the fungus has been destroyed, which can only be told 
by the continued use of the microscope during the treatment 
(for oftentimes it occurs that a hair may outwardly be as pliant 
and robust as ever, yet the microscope will detect the tricho- 
phyton seeds in its roots or shafts), then you can turn your 
attention, if you have not already done so, to the building up 
of the hair-formative powers of the scalp. If there is yet 
much infiltration of the scalp, then the oil of birch and tar 
ointment (page 189) is to be applied for awhile. Friction is an 
important element of cure in ringworm cases, since an infil- 
trated condition of the skin is often left as a result of the long 
continued irritation of the disease. For tonics to stimulate 
hair-growth you need but follow the directions given on pages 
91 and 149, supplementing the cold water douche with the 
cantharidal dressing there recommended. 

Note. Tinea Kerion, of some authorities, I take to be but 
a state of Tinea Tonsurans where the hair follicles have been 
inflamed, through uncleanliness, over-use of domestic remedies, 
or even by the over-officiousness of an incompetent physician. 
In these cases the diseased places on the scalp become tumefied, 
through the local infiltration of the integument, a glutinous 
fluid exudes from the follicle, and the neighboring lymphatic 



216 RINGWORM OF THE SCALP. 

glands of the neck may, or may not, be swollen. The treat- 
ment is to let the parts rest for a time, if they have been over- 
treated, then apply the remedies as indicated previously. 
Epilation is necessary in this stage of the complaint; as, by 
removing the hair bulb, you take off the pressure from the 
sensitive and inflamed follicle. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



TINEA FAVOSA. 

HONEYCOMB EINGWORM OF THE SCALP. 

Synonyms. Favus, Scall. 

Derivation. From the two Latin words, tinea, meaning a 
moth or wood-worm, and favus, a honeycomb; so called 
because it was at first believed to be an animal parasite; and 
secondly, because the crusts somewhat resemble honeycomb. 

Cause. A vegetable 
parasite known to mi- 
croscopists as Achori- 
on Schonleinii. As 
conducive causes, 
there may be men- 
tioned, bodily filthi- 
ness, and damp, dark 




Fig. 29. 

apartments. It occurs mostly in children, 
chiefly those of a strumous habit. 

The parasite was first discovered in 
the Favus crusts by Schonlein in 1839; 
later in the hairs by Gruby and Wedl. 
It consists of the spores, figure 29, and 
mycelia usually found in all of these 
parasitic fungi; the spores being about the 
size of the red blood-globules, or 3^ o- °f 
an inch in diameter. Sometimes the spores 
are. united together in concatenated chains 



f'r^i'P'f 




Fig. 30. 

more or less 



218 HONEYCOMB RINGWORM OF THE SCALP. 

branched. Oftentimes there is a stroma of very small sporules 
present — much smaller than the spores just described. Probably 
these are the " fruiting sporules " sown by the bursting of a 
spore ripe with seeds. Figure 30 is a microscopical view of 
a split hair shaft, showing the formation of these concatenated 
spores and mycelia in the fibrous and cellular stroma of the 
body of the hair. 

Diagnosis. The peculiar shape of the crusts is almost pathog- 
nomonic, and hence the microscope is only needed, in the 
majority of cases, to confirm an opinion formed by an ocular 
inspection of the diseased surface. The crusts form about the 
mouth of a hair duct, the hair-shaft piercing the centre, 
and are, at first, about the size of a mustard seed. As the 
disease advances, they enlarge to the size of a half dime, become 
hollowed out, upon their upper surface; in other words, are 
cup-shaped. Their color is a sulphur yellow. The odor from 
them has been likened to that from cat's urine, or the odor of 
mice. When a crust is raised from its bed a cup-shaped cavity 
is left in the skin, which has been the result of absorption by 
the constant pressure above, and may or may not be ulcerated. 
If of long standing, cicatricial structure seems to fasten the 
little pits to the aponeurosis (fibrous covering) of the cranial 
muscles. On turning the crust over, it will be found to present 
a convex surface on its under side. The crusts, usually, are 
placed singly upon the scalp, though sometimes two or more 
may coalesce. Though usually found upon the scalp, they may 
be found on various hairy portions of the body. There is 
always more or less of an itching accompanying the disease. 

To distinguish it from impetigo (a crusted tetter of pustular 
origin), you have to remember that Favus has no discharge, 
and that impetigo has no cup-shaped crusts. 

The hair that penetrates a Favus crust is always stunted in 



H0XBYC03IB EIXGWOBM OF THE SCALP. 219 

growth, is harsh, brittle, dull in color, easily broken or 
extracted from the follicle. This is very reasonable, from the 
fact that a vegetable parasite feeds upon the follicle and papilla 
that should furnish the hair its supply of nutriment, and then 
the parasite also invades the body of the hair itself, there pro- 
ducing disease and decay. 

When the crusts are to be examined microscopically, they 
are to be softened in a little water, or glycerine, and then a 
portion of this pulp put under the object glass. Care should 
be used to put the covering glass lightly over the specimen, so 
as not to break down the spores, or to hopelessly entangle them 
in the sebaceous matter of the crust. When the hairs are to 
be examined, they are first to be macerated in a weak solution 
of caustic potash — say one part to ten or fifteen of water — then 
washed with pure water, and mounted for examination with 
the same care that is used in mounting the crusts, when, with a 
good glass, the fungus can, if present in the specimen, be quite 
readily detected. (See page 206 for differentiation of the para- 
site from normal tissue.) 

Treatment. This is a disease that should be seen to early, as 
when it is of long standing a total loss of the hair is the result. 
The first thing is to remove the crusts, and this is done by 
means of oil macerations, followed with soap, as described in 
previous chapters, especially on Seborrhoea. When this has 
been done thoroughly, and the scalp has been cleansed from 
the oil and soap, the whole diseased surface is to be epilated. 
Every diseased hair left in its follicle is a source of contagion 
for all the rest of the head, hence the sooner the f ungating 
mass is gotten rid of the better. Usually this is not a very pain- 
ful operation. It is done by the use of tweezers, pulling out a 
single hair at a time. As the hairs are quite brittle, from the 
ravages of the fungus within their shafts, it follows that they 



220 HONEYCOMB EINGWOEM OF THE SCALP. 

frequently break off near the skin; hence seize them with the 
tweezers as near the scalp as possible. If the pain induced by 
their extraction is too severe, it can be allayed, somewhat, by 
the application of the ether spray. If the disease is not of too 
long standing, you can safely promise a return of the hirsute 
growth. 

After the hair has been thoroughly epilated, then the appli- 
cation of some parasiticide will be necessary. Probably car- 
bolic acid is as harmless to the general system as anything, and 
is usually pretty successful, hence should be tried first. The 
following will make a very eligible preparation in case the acid 

is not used clear: 

* 

3$. Acidi carbolici (carbolic acid), 
Glycerine (glycerine), 
Aquas puras (pure water), aa. (of each) 3 iij (three drachms). 

M. S. Apply thoroughly over the diseased surface once a day for a few times. 

To be used by the physician. As a dressing to be used by 
the patient, with which compresses may be kept wet and 
applied to the part, is 

1$. Acidi carbolici (carbolic acid), 3 ij (two drachms). 
G-lycerinae (glycerine), § j (one ounce). 
Aquae rosae (rose water), I viij (eight ounces). 

The potash soap, either pure or in the form of an embroca- 
tion, as spoken of in the chapter on Seborrhoea, is also an excel- 
lent application. If used pure, it is to be used twice daily, 
then, after drying, to be rubbed off, and the dressing above 
given is to be applied. 

Another valuable parasiticide is corrosive sublimate. It may 
be used in an ointment, as the following: 

TJ. Hydrargyri chlo. cor. (corrosive sublimate), grs. x to xx (10 to 20 grains). 
Cerati simplicis (simple cerate), § j (one ounce). 

M. S. Poison. 



HONEYCOMB RINGWORM OF THE SCALP. 221 

This is to be applied only in the early treatment of the dis- 
ease and under a physician's advice. If the mercuric bichlor- 
ide is preferred in solution, the following, a somewhat stronger 
form than the one just given, might be used: 

R. Hydrargyri chlo. cor. (corrosive sublimate), grs. xx (20 grains). 
Acidi muriatici (muriatic acid), 3 ss (half drachm). 
Alcoholis (alcohol), 3 vij (seven drachms). 

M. S. Poison. Apply with camel's hair brush. (Should be used only by the 
physician.) 

After these measures have been used sufficiently long to insure 
the death of the fungi, the milder tar and white birch oil oint- 
ment, spoken of in the chapter upon Eczema, might be employed 
for a time, especially if there be any infiltration of the corium. 
Gradually milder ointments may be employed, until, finally, 
cocoa oil may finish off the case; the point being, in the latter 
part of the treatment, to merely protect the sensitive skin from 
the atmosphere, by a coating of oil. Dr. Sawicki recommends 
the following: 

R\ Cretae pulv. (pulv. chalk), |j (one ounce). 

Acidi carbolici (carbolic acid), grs. xlviij (48 grains). 
01. olivae, q. s. (enough) to make a pliant mass. 

Apply over the surface of the scalp, after cutting the hair short and washing 
the head thoroughly. On the third day following remove the crust, formed 
from the application, with oil and soapy water, then re-apply. Usually, he 
asserts, three or four applications effect a cure. 

Generally there is some constitutional treatment demanded; 
not that the disease is one of constitutional diathesis, but that 
it most frequently makes its appearance, as do most parasitical 
diseases, upon those living in squalid quarters, and who have 
not been properly fed or nourished. Iron and cod-liver oil will 
be found the most useful of these constitutional remedies to 
administer. A change of air will often be found beneficial, 
and this with cream, when it can be had, or beef marrow, will 
be found favorable adjuncts to the medical treatment, whether 



222 HONEYCOMB RINGWORM OF THE SCALP. 

local or constitutional. That the disease is a local one should 
constantly be remembered, so that the constitutional treatment 
may always be secondary to the local. 

As a stimulating lotion to the surface made bald by epilation, 
or the casting of the hair by the natural effects of the disease, 
the following can, for a while, be employed: 

R\ Tt*. canthai'idis (tr. Spanish flies), 3 j (one drachm). 

Tr. nucis vomicae (tr. nux vomica), 3 iij (three drachms). 
Olei cocois (cocoa oil), 1 ss (half ounce), 
Aquae cologniensis (cologne water), vel (or) 
Spiritus myrciae (bay ruin), § ii j (three ounces). 

Apply this morning and night to the scalp, after a thorough 
brushing with a soft bristle brush. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

TINEA DECALVANS. 

PATCHY BALDNESS. 
Synonyms. Alopecia areata; Local alopecia. 

Derivation. From the Latin tinea, a moth or woodworm, 
and the verb decalveo, to be or to make bald. 

Discussion. It is a question of dispute among our derma- 
tologists whether this disease should be classed among the 
parasitical ones or not. I am strongly inclined to the parasitical 
nature of the complaint, judging from my own experience 
with it, and that of others. Gruby was the first who described 
a fungus in the hairs of the portion of the scalp so diseased. 
Kiichenmeister, Malmstein, Robin, Wedl, Bazin, Hardy, Hebra, 
Hillier, Squire, Godfrey and Fox, also look upon it as of 
parasitical origin. All admit, though, that there is a form of 
local baldness without the presence of the parasite, which has 
been treated of; see page 153. The dermatologists who favor 
the MO^-parasitical form of the complaint are Neumann, 
Cazenave, Devergie, Barensprung, Hutchinson, Veiel, Bock 
and Bulkley. So far as the weight of authority goes, it is 
plainly in favor of the parasitical origin of the trouble. In the 
law of experimental evidence, an affirmative goes further than 
a negative. However, as the treatment of most local alopecias 
as if of parasitical origin is most successful, it must follow, as a 
matter of course, that a vegetable growth was then hindering 
the proper development of the hair. Then, too, the extension 
of the disease shows plainly its parasitical nature. It begins 
as a small patch of baldness, not larger than a three-cent piece, 



224 



PATCHY BALDNESS. 



the place having previously been subject to itchings and a 
slight dandruffy exfoliation of the epidermis. From a spot of 
this size its borders are gradually extended until, as in some 
cases, the whole cranium has been laid bare. Now, clearly, 
no nervous trouble, for this is what the authorities that do not 
favor the parasitical origin of the disease hold it to be, would 
be so regular in its ravages; neither would the portion of the 
scalp affected with this nervous malnutrition be so clearly 
marked out, leaving the closely adjoining hairs as healthy and 
luxuriant as if no trouble were present in the scalp at all. 
Then, too, the disease is contagious, as Hillier has clearly 
proven, from the fact that at Han well, in a school where it first 
broke out, some forty children, occupying the same portion of 
the building, were affected, and in these cases the fungus was 
detected on a careful microscopic examination. 

Causes. This disease is caused by the vegetable parasite, 
microsporon (/MxpoZ, small, and (T7ropoZ, a seed) Audouini 
(a man's name). This is one of the smallest vegetable parasites 
It is probably owing to the very minuteness 
of the fungus that it has so 
often escaped detection. The 
spores vary from the 2 6 1 - 
to the -g-oVo" °f an mcn m dia- 
meter. The mycelial threads 
are very small also, and are 
few in number, another ele- 
ment in the way of easily 
detecting the parasitical na- 
ture of the trouble. Figure 31 
represents a hair from a spot 
Flg ' 31 * affected with this fungoid 

growth with the spores scattered upon the shaft, and a branch- 



that affect man. 




PATCHY BALDNESS. 225 

ing mycelium. If on first examination, you do not detect 
the fungus, an artificial feeding of it, as described in the general 
chapter upon these hyphomycetes, for a few days, will bring it 
more fully forward, when, with the use of a weak solution 
of liquor potassse, it may discovered if present. 

Diagnosis. Circular bald patches upon the head or face 
(beard), varying in size from a three-cent piece to complete 
friar baldness, preceded by a stage of itching and furfuraceous 
desquamation. These spots, usually, are upon one side of 
the head, though sometimes may be seen equally upon both 
sides, if there are several bald patches. If the scalp be exam- 
ined closely a degree of redness, at first, will be seen with the 
normal number of hair follicles, but with soft downy hairs, and 
the scalp will not have lost its ordinary sensation. This is 
contrary to what we find in cases of local baldness from 
nervous malfunction, for in these the scalj} has lost its ordinary 
sensibility; it is white and atrophied, and the hair follicles are 
almost entirely absent; besides this, there is almost always a 
history of neuralgia in the neighborhood of the spots of bald- 
ness. Authorities say that the disease is more often seen in 
girls, and young people. This has not been my experience 
with it, however. 

When first affected, besides the itching and dandruff, it will 
be noticed that the hairs <will lose their natural pliability and 
glossy look, and their normal dark color; they will be quite 
easily plucked out, and when so removed will show no evidence 
of the bulb or root; on the contrary, they will be found to be 
quite pointed; after a time the hairs fall out of their own accord. 
If examined microscopically, besides the fungus microsporon, 
the shaft will be seen to be irregular in its outline, having a bulg- 
ing look; owing, probably, to an undue amount of adventitious 
or fatty cellular structure, and the developed fungus. 

15 



226 PATCHY BALDNESS. 

Treatment. As in these cases the skin is unbroken, an appli- 
cation of our stronger parasiticides is in order. After the 
parts have been well cleansed from grease, etc., and allowed to 
dry, then make an application of either the pure acidum car- 
bolicum (carbolic acid), or the acidum sulphuricum (sulphuric 
acid). This is best done with a glass rod, applying the acid 
thoroughly over the entire bald surface, quickly sponging it off, 
if it be the sulphuric acid used, with a solution of bicarbonate 
of sodium, or other alkali. At once, by this treatment, the 
parasite coming in contact with the acid is destroyed, and, if it 
is quite quickly done, is not painful to the patient. It may 
be necessary to apply this weekly, for several weeks, in old and 
inveterate cases. Meanwhile, let the patient apply to his head 
daily the stimulating lotion of cantharis, nux vomica, etc., 
spoken of on page 222. Tilbury Fox's usual treatment of 
this form of disease is to daily apply to the affected parts, 
for a couple of weeks, an ointment made as follows: 

3J. Hydrarg. chlo. cor. (corrosive sublimate), grs. ij (2 grains). 
Cerati simp, (simple cerate), § ij (2 ounces). 

M. S. Poison. 

Afterwards some stimulating lotion or ointment, as the follow- 
ing, might be used : 

1$. Tr. cantharidis (tr. Spanish fly). 

Tr. capsici (tr. capsicum), aa. (of each) 3 iij (3 drachms). 

01. ricini (castor oil), § ss Q£ ounce). 

Aq. cologniensis (cologne water), q. s. ad § iv (to make 4 ounces). 

M. S. Shake well and apply to the parts twice daily. 

Or, 

]$. 01. amygdala? dulcis (oil of sweet almonds), § ss Q& ounce). 
Lq. ammonia? fort, (strong water of ammonia), 1 ss Q4 ounce). 
Spts. rosmarini (spirits rosemary), vel (or) 
Spts. myrcise (bay rum), § ij (2 ounces). 
Aqua? mollis (soft water), § j. 

M. S. Used daily on the scalp or beard. 



PATCHY BALDNESS. 227 

Also the following might be employed: 

I£. Ext. nucis vomicae (ext. mix vomica), grs. xxx (30 grains). 
Cantharidis (cantharides), grs. xx (20 grains). 
01. lavandulae (oil lavender), th, xij (12 minims). 
Adipis (lard), I ij (2 ounces). 

M. S. Anoint head twice daily where the hair is out. 

Frictions, with a tooth brush dipped in strong vinegar, to 
the bald places are also useful. Tincture of iodine is also a 
useful parasiticide, when used undiluted, and might be 
employed in this trouble. If diluted somewhat, it makes a 
good stimulant and resolvent to the scalp. A little tincture of 
capsicum might be added to increase its efficacy as a stimulant. 
One noted dermatologist, Prof. Erlach, of Bern, relies entirely 
upon the frequent application of turpentine to all of these para- 
sitic growths, and in a couple of months has the satisfaction of 
seeing his cases recover. 

With the medicinal (local) treatment of this complaint 
should be coupled the proper hygienic one, that of keeping the 
head clean, and as free from rancid oil-dressings as possible. 
A twice daily douche of cold water to the head (and beard, if 
it be affected), then rubbing briskly dry with a coarse towel, 
following with a good thorough brushing, so as to execute a 
glow and warmth, will aid in the restoration of the hairs. If, at 
first, they come in unhealthy and puny-looking, have them cut 
off, and keep on with the daily shampooings and brush-frictions, 
with, also, the use of some of the stimulating lotions, and 
shortly, unless the disease has gone so far as to destroy the 
Jiair bulbs, your patient will be blessed with his normal suit of 
hirsute covering. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

TINEA SYCOSIS. 



Synonyms. Mentagra; Sycosis menti. 

Derivation. Tinea, a moth or wood worm, and gvkgdGiS, a 
fig. The medical term of this complaint has, as you see, no 
reference to the real meaning of the words employed, as it is 
not a fig-shaped worm, or parasite, at all. In fact, none of the 
parasites of the parasitic diseases I have been describing have 
any resemblance, in their physical characters, to a "wood 
worm," or a moth, as their classic names might lead you to 
think. They are none of them animals, but small vegetable 
growths, cryptogamic plants. Possibly the serpiginous tracts 
of the tinese, as seen in their workings upon the body, may 
have some fancied resemblance to a "moth," or more likely 
to a "wood worm." As to the term Sycosis, why that is one 
given to the disease by the ancient physicians long before its 
real parasitical nature was ever thought of. The pulp, squeezed 
from a long standing case of non-parasitical sycosis (see Chap- 
ter XVIII) may have some fancied resemblance to a fig's pulp, 
but farther than that there is certainly no resemblance. 

The younger Pliny, A. D. 61, spoke of the disease as being 
epidemic among the nobility in certain portions of the old 
Roman empire; and he graphically describes its symptoms and 
the ravaging effects of the disease, when unchecked, upon the 
hair, and the many ulcers and disfigurative cicatrices resulting 
therefrom. 



BARBER S ITCH. 



229 



The parasite microspores (jiutpoS, small, and 67topo$ y seed) 
mentagraphytes {mentum, chin, aypa 7 catching and cpvrov, a 
plant) is the cause of this unsightly trouble that affects only 
the sterner sex. Being a parasitical disease, it is, of course, 
readily communicable; the commonest means for contagion 
beino-, as its common name would indicate, the hands and 
implements of the tonsorial artist. 

It is a very small parasite, the spores or seeding parts being 
small nucleated spheres, from the w Vo- to 
the 40 1 00 of an inch in diameter. Figure 
32 shows the spores of the fungus and 
a peculiar condition of the hairs of the 
beard when invaded. These slight bulg- 
ings or knots are frequently noticeable 
with a hand-lens; the hair is found to 
easily break off at these places. When 
subjected to the higher powers the con- 
ditions are as above shown, simulating 
strongly two paint brushes thrust 
together at the brush ends. The nutri- 
tion of the hair at these points has been 
interfered with, hence the fibres of the fibrous portion of the 
hair become separated, and finally break through the equally 
impoverished imbricating scale-layer. The growth of the fun- 
gus also has some mechanical influence in inducing this separ- 
ation of fibres. 

Many have thought the parasite of this disease to be similar 
to the fungoid growth found in tinea circinata, the ordinary 
body ring- worm. It is, microscopically, very similar; and 
usually when the disease commences it has all the appear- 
ances of an ordinary ring- worm, only located on the hairy por- 
tion of the face. Finally, the spores begin to take fertile root 




Fig. 32. 



230 



down in the hair-follicles of the beard, gradually penetrate the 
soft cells of the root of the hair, and at last sprout, and take 
mycelial growth in the shaft itself, as this portion of the hair 
is being gradually pushed out from the follicle by the ceaseless 
formative action of the hair papillae at the bottom. Of course, 
as the follicle is invaded, it becomes inflamed, finally suppur- 
ates, and, in time, throws out the hair itself. Its chief place of 
growth is between, the hair-bulb and its follicular sheath, and 
one reason why the fungus is not more readily detected in old 
cases is the fact that pus is a parasiticide; hence one of its mis- 
chief-making results becomes, in a measure, an agent for its 
destruction. From all these circumstances it would seem fair 
to suppose this disease to be but a more fully developed state 
of the parasite tricophyton tonsurans of the body ring-worm, 
the same that is also found in the ring-worm of the scalp. 
Still, as it is a debatable question whether this is really so or 
not, I have thought best to give a separate chapter to its con- 
sideration. 

Diagnosis. It is necessarily a disease limited to the male sex, 
and to adult life. There is a spot of itchiness in the beard, fol- 
lowed, perhaps, by a slight crusting or scabbing. A hair-fol- 
licle is seen to be enlarged and swollen, shortly afterwards the 
hair from the diseased follicle will become lusterless, harsh, 
and can be easily plucked from its follicle. The integument 
adjacent soon becomes reddened, infiltrated, and consequently 
swollen and painful. It is not rare to find the neighboring 
lymphatic glands involved, especially if the disease be situated 
upon the under surface of the lower jaw. Sometimes, though 
rarely, the disease extends so as to involve the eyebrows and 
the hair-follicles in the nasal septum, but this only in neglected 
and long-standiug cases. 

Unless great care is taken, when the disease has existed for a 



BARBER S ITCH. 



231 



time, the discharge mats together the beard or moustache into 
a condition resembling the uncleanly plica Polinica described 
on page 190; otherwise unsightly scabs form over the ulcer- 
ated and inflamed patches, from the continual oozing from 
the inflamed follicles and the sebaceous glands emptying into 
them. When one of these crusts is removed, we find under- 
neath a moist, red surface, uneven or nodulated, much resem- 
bling our ordinary red raspberry, only darker in color. The 
microscope is, of course, to be called into aid in making a posi- 
tive diagnosis, for there are several non-parasitical diseases 
that in many particulars strikingly resemble the disease in 
question. 

On withdrawing a hair from a follicle 
invaded with this disease, and submitting 
it to an eight-inch objective, the sporules 
will be seen upon and around the shaft, 
as shown in Fig. 33. If the disease is in 
a more advanced stage, then the paint- 
brush condition shown in Fig. 32 will be 
observed. Often reagent's will be needed 
before the sporules will show up plainly. 

The most prominent of the diseases 
simulating Tinea Sycosis are mentagra, 
acne, impetigo and syphilitic rupia. 

Mentagra. From mentagra, or the non-parasitical sycosis, 
this disease is distinguished by the fact that the trouble is more 
localized; that is, it does not spread so rapidly; the tissues 
adjacent are more slowly involved. From the fact that the dis- 
ease under consideration depends upon the growth of a fungus, 
each follicle must wait its turn for infection; whilst in menta- 
gra, as the disease is extended over more surface, there is 
greater tendency to extensive crusting. Then, too, the hairs 




232 barber's itch. 

are more easily extracted, from their greater looseness in the 
follicle, in Tinea Sycosis than in mentagra. The factor of con- 
tagion is also another important point to remember in differen- 
tial diagnosis; the parasitical disease is contagious, and almost 
always the source from which it was contracted, oftentimes a 
" mangy " dog or cat, is quite definitely known. A person 
subject to the body ring-worm, or tinea circinata, can quite 
certainly trace his beard infection to this prior trouble. Lastly, 
the appearance of the mucedinous growth under the micro- 
scope is, of course, positive proof of the parasitic disease, or of 
Tinea Sycosis. 

Acne. Here the microscope is also of great importance, as 
there is no parasite in acne. Then, too, acne is non-contagious, 
and exists on other parts of the body at the same time; whereas 
Tinea Sycosis is a beard disease. Acne is a common complaint 
of females and males just reaching puberty. Then, too, in 
acne, the sores do not seem to be so much " run together," are 
not so painful, and, as a rule, the hair is less loosened. 

Impetigo. In this trouble there is much less infiltration of 
the integument, fewer and smaller crusts; when these are 
removed there is not the raw, granular surface that is usually 
seen in the parasitic Sycosis. Impetigo is not a contagious dis- 
ease, and has no parasite. The hairs are less loosened in impet- 
igo, and hence give greater pain on epilation. In impetigo 
the crusts are thinner and lighter; it is a disease that oftener 
attacks vitiated constitutions. 

Rupia. The syphilitic form of this trouble has a previous 
history of venereal contagion; then, too, it is only in rare cases 
that Sycosis and rupia could be mistaken, one for the other, 
and these are when Sycosis occurs on the mucous surface of the 
nasal septum, or upon the lips; rare spots upon which the para- 
site develops. In S. rupia the crusts are found to cover 



barber's itch. 233 

unhealthy and illy-smelling ulcers, giving out a dark-colored 
and offensive secretion. Rupia has no parasite. It is an infec- 
tious disease, not, in its limited sense, a contagious one. 

Treatment. This is, essentially, an anti-parasitical one. If 
there should be crusts, these should be at once removed by 
macerating them in sweet oil or fresh lard, then washing them 
off with soap. All of the diseased hairs should be plucked out. 
This should be rigorously enforced ; for as long as a single 
diseased member remains it is a source of contagion for all the 
others. This will not be so painful an operation as it appears 
to be at the first look, for the suppuration in the follicle has 
already partially detached the bulb from its papilla, and a 
quick jerk will remove the infected hair, inflicting upon the 
patient but a momentary twinge of pain. This done, some 
parasiticide is to be thoroughly applied to the mouths of the 
diseased follicles. Any of the formulae given for the destruc- 
tion of the other fungoid growths are applicable for the 
destruction of this variety of tinea. Sir William Jenner's 
favorite parasiticide, and a very good one it is, too, was: 

R\ Acidi sulphurosi (sulphurous acid), 1 j (1 ounce). 
Aquae (water), § vj (6 ounces). M. 

This is to be applied over the whole of the diseased surface 
after epilation. Some prefer a stronger solution than this; as, 
equal parts of the acid with glycerine and water, 

As a daily wash for the patient to use, the following makes a 
good one: 

1$. Potassii sulphatis (sulphate of potassium), 3 j (1 drachm). 
Aquae (water), Oj (1 pint). Mix. 

Another very good parasiticide is the common corrosive sub- 
limate wash, of the strength of from two to ten grains to the 
ounce of water. Should there be much abrasion of the skin. 



234 barber's itch. 

these poisonous solutions should be used with very great 
caution. 

Boracic acid has been highly recommended, of late, in these 
diseases; it should be used of the strength of one drachm of 
the acid to one ounce of pure water, bathing the parts well 
with this two or three times a day, using some little friction to 
work the solution down into the follicles as far as possible. 
In fact, the application of all parasiticides should be supple- 
mented with friction, so as to bring the medicine into as direct 
contact with the germs as the condition of the parts will allow. 

Another very good dressing, though a little too irritating for 
long use, is an ointment made as follows: 

Tfc. Sulphur precip. (flowers of sulphur), grs. x (10 grains). 

Iodinii bisulph. (iodide of sulphur), grs. x (10 grains). 

Cerati simp, (simple cerate), I j (1 ounce). 
Misce (mix). 

Probably the best agent for the destruction of these cryp- 
togamic growths that infest the hair follicles and skin is car- 
bolic acid. In any reasonable amounts it is non-poisonous; and 
if you should see fit to use it in its virgin strength, you need 
not be afraid of its doing a great injury to your patient. 
Then, too, it is miscible, in almost any proportion, with water, 
glycerine and cerates, hence you can always easily regulate the 
quantity to the severity of the symptoms presented. As appli- 
cable a dressing as any, for ordinary cases, is the following: 

R\ Acidi carbolici (carbolic acid), 3 D (1 drachm). 

Unguenti zinci oxidi (oxide of zinc ointment), I ij (2 ounces). 
Misce well. (Mix well). 

This can be applied two or three times a day, or less often, as the symptoms 
improve. 

As the disease frequently attacks those poor in general 
health, it follows that all such should receive constitutional 



V 

235 



tonics. The best of these are cod liver oil and steel, in some 
of their multitudinous forms. The emulsion of the oil with 
dialyzed iron is a good form in which to give them both com- 
bined. The emulsion of the oil with extract of malt, or the 
extract of malt combined with the hypophosphites, are also good 
"food tonics." A very fine stomachic, as well as blood tonic, 
for these cases with vitiated general health, is the following: 

3£. Tr. cinchonae comp. (compound tr. of cinchonas), 1 j (1 ounce). 

Ferri citratis (citrate of iron), 1 ss Q4 ounce). 

Vini Xerici (sherry wine), § v (5 ounces). 
M. S. Teaspoonf ul before meals. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

DERMATOZOA. 

ANIMAL PARASITES, GENERAL CHAPTER UPON. 

" So, naturalists observe, a flea 
Has smaller fleas that on him prey; 
And these have smaller still to bite 'em; 
And so proceed ad infinitum." — Jonathan Swift. 

Derivation. From the two Greek words depjua, meaning 
skin, and 2,gqov an animal. The plural form of the word 
stands at the chapter head, and hence means, literally, "skin 
animals." 

Causes. It is not our purpose to include in this treatise all 
the animal parasites that infest the skin of man; but only those 
that infest more especially the hairy parts. This reduces the 
number to be described to six, viz. : Pediculus capitis, or head- 
louse; Pediculus pubis, or crab-louse; Pediculus corporis, or 
body louse; Sarcoptes scabiei, the itch insect; Steatazoon folli- 
culorum, the follicular parasite; Pidex canis (or fells), the 
flea. 

The skin irritation produced by the presence of either of the 
first three parasites is known as 

PHTHEIRIASIS. 

This term then would, when applied to the prima causa, 
mean, simply, lousiness. 

For a great many years dermatologists have been in the 
habit of classifying this form of skin trouble with the other 
inflammatory troubles of the same parts; thus it has been 
made a variety of prurigo by Anderson. This, however, is a 



ANIMAL PAEAS1TES. 237 

faulty nomenclature, as whatever pruriginous eruption ensues 
is due, not so much to the mere presence of the parasite, as to 
the irritation caused by scratching the parts with the nails. 
An eczema is also frequently induced through the same process 
of rubbing and scratching the previously irritated portions of 
the skin. 

By the ancients it was firmly believed that these body para- 
sites sprang into being through some subtile exhalation or 
humors from the body itself, and that death was possible to 
result from this degenerative process. The Emperor Arnulf, 
and the Danish king Snyo, were believed to have met death 
from this cause. Some coloring is given to this from the 
classics, for do we not read of the Athenian philosopher Speu- 
sippus longing to be freed from such a miserable progeny (who 
can blame him) ? Of Calisthenes, because he had used that 
unruly member, the tongue, too freely, being confined in a 
close iron cage and covered with these miserable vermin? 
Of Pharecydes, who flourished in Thales' time, and who longed 
to be free from such tormenters ? His letter of complaint to 
Thales testifies to this in these words: " I'm covered with lice, 
so that I do not longer admit my physician or friends. But 
when they stand at the door and ask me how I am, I put my 
finger through the opening and show them how I am eaten up 
with the evil things, and desire them to come to-morrow to my 
funeral." It is said that Pythagoras once went to visit him, 
but this miserable man, who wrote the first books upon natural 
philosophy for the Greeks, only put his bitten finger through 
the door and replied laconically to his friend's inquiry of how 
he was, a You may see by my skin." At later times the reply 
passed into a proverb among them, for when affairs were going 
illy with them, they replied to their friends' inquiries by 



238 PHTHEIRIA.SIS. 

thrusting out their forefinger and saying, "You may see by 
my skin." 

The Jews also preserve in historic writings the devastating 
ravages of these parasites in the destruction of Pharaoh's hosts, 
in Egypt, by the visitation of the lice-plague; and in the Tal- 
mud it is recorded that "as is a man who kills a camel on the 
Sabbath, so is he who kills a louse on the Sabbath;" thus clearly 
showing the exactions of the old Mosaic decalogue, that no 
work should be done on the day of rest, even so slight as the 
destruction of this, to the cleanly Jews, most odious insect. 

Still further back in antiquity do we find allusions to these 
parasites in terms of no less hatred than those Pharecydes used, 
for in the oracle of the mythical fire worshipers, older than 
historic Egypt herself, the Avesta Yendidad, we find the fol- 
lowing: "When they dress their hair on the*corporeal world, 
cut the hair, pare the nails; when they shear their locks or their 
beards, then dome together the Daevas (devils) to this polluted 
spot of earth. Then come together to this polluted spot of 
the earth the Khrafetras, which men call lice / which destroy 
man's corn in the corn, the clothes in the clothes." The free 
rendering of the last portion is clearly that of " if the lice fall 
(after the shearing, probably) into the corn, the corn will be 
good for nothing, as people will not eat it; if upon the clothing, 
people will not wear the clothing." It will now be noticed that 
the soldiers of our late war, afflicted with these parasites, were 
not the first to call their unwelcome visitors " devils." 

Returning to later times we find that Alibert believed in a 
truly "lousy distemper;" that Fuchs asserted there was a 
spontaneous production of lice in cachectic and debilitated 
persons afflicted with boils, the breeding point being within 
the tumors. Devergie also asserted that a poorly nourished 
body would spontaneously produce lice. 



L 



PHTHEIRIASIS. 239 

Then there was the man Hahnemann (who died about 1850), 
the father of the modern school of Homoeopathy, who asserted 
that nearly all diseases were different phases of lousiness, or 
itchiness, and from this there sprang into being the present 
homoeopathic plan of treatment for the diseases below named. 

These are his words; they are the eightieth Aphorism of his 
Organon (page 122), given verbatim: 

"This psora (itch) is the sole, true and fundamental cause that produces all the 
other countless forms of disease, which, under the names of nervous debility, 
hysteria, hemicrania, hypochondriasis, insanity, melancholy, idiocy, madness, epi- 
lepsy, and spasms of all kinds, softening of the bones, or rickets, scoliasis and 
cyphosis, caries, cancer, fungus hematodes, pseudo-morphae of all kinds, gravel, 
gout, haemorrhoids, jaundice and cyanosis, dropsy, amenorrhcea, gastrorrhagia, 
epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematuria, metrorrhagia, asthma, and phthisis ulcerosa, 
impotency and sterility, deafness, cataract and amaurosis, loss of sense, pains of 
every kind, etc., appear in our pathology as so many peculiar, distinct and inde- 
pendent diseases." 

There, if any of our ailing homoeopathic friends have the 
" itch," it certainly is none of our fault. The author of their 
system of practice asserts it, not I. All I ask of you is that 
you will give it a second careful reading. 

These statements are, of course, unreliable; still, they show 
to what extent men are sometimes driven in trying to assign a 
cause to certain phenomena that they have only imperfectly 
investigated. 

The furunculi and excoriations seen in these cases are only 
he result of the scratching and other irritation that the patient 
jvflicts upon himself, for a skin puncture from the proboscis of 
any one of the species of lice above named, leaves only a 
small dark-centered elevation (papule) to mark the so-called 
"bite." 

None of the parasites have a mouth proper, hence they are 
incapable of "biting," as we usually understand the term. 
The proboscis is (when seen magnified) a long, lance-shaped 
organ that is thrust into some pore of the skin — sweat pore 



240 



PHTHEIRIASIS. 



J I 



usually — and then, by means of suction, blood is raised from 
the nearest superficial capillary. Figure 34, representing the 
proboscis of a body-louse magnified 160 
diameters, will answer well enough for a 
description of the proboscides of the three 
species of lice that infest man. a a repre- 
sents the summit of the head, with four 
hair-bristles upon each side of the lance- 
organ; b b is the head-plate of chitine, and 
c the back part of the lower lip; d d is the 
foremost part of the lower lip protruded 
for suction, and e e a row of hooks, turned 
outwards, for seizing hold of the mouth of 
the follicle into which the proboscis, f 9 is 
plunged; the lines on each side of f are 
hard membranous (chitine) mandibles, 
which support the suction tube; the glob- 
ules within represent the blood cells 
ascending the proboscis after suction is 
applied by the insect. 

The peculiar stinging, itching sensation 
^^^ftjjka is undoubtedly owing, ia great part, to 
the contact of the excrementitious matter 
of the sweat pore with the minute punc- 
tured surface of the skin below. The first 
twinge of pain is due to the penetration 
of the lance-like proboscis into the flesh. 



Fig. 34. 



BREEDING. 



Each of the species of lice is mono- 
sexual; that is, each individual is either a 
male or female, and procreation is possible only by a union of 



L 



PHTHEIRIASIS. 241 

the two sexes. As a rule, the female is much the larger of the 
two. She does not bring forth her young alive, but, after 
impregnation, lays her eggs, or " nits " as they are popularly 
called, gluing them to a hair shaft, usually, and waits for the 
heat of the harborer's body to hatch them out. The body- 
louse proper more frequently lays her eggs upon the fibers of 
the clothing, in the vicinity of the seams. 

They are all very prolific breeders, many thousand being 
produced in a few months from the parentage of a single 
couple. Indeed, the German naturalist Leuwenhoeck, who 
became so enthusiastic in watching their marvelous increase 
that he went so far as to experimentally breed them upon him- 
self, found that two impregnated females, which he had placed 
in his silk hose, had, in a week or ten days, awarded their host 
with a deposit of one hundred eggs, "with more to follow." 
In twenty-four days from their deposit the new progeny were 
laying eggs for themselves, in order to bring forth grand- 
children to their parents; and at the end of a couple of months 
the practical investigator figured up that the original two had 
become the parents of some eighteen thousand individuals. 

16 



CHAPTER XXV. 

THE DERMATOZOA {concluded). 

PEDICULUS CAPITIS (HEAD LOUSE). 

Derivation. The term, is from the Latin pediculus, the 
original meaning being "a little foot;" the root of the word is 
pes, which means a "foot." Capitis is from the Latin word 
caput, which means "head;" hence, the double term is as 
stands at the heading. 

Causes. To those given, in the preceding chapter, may be 
added uncleanly habits, and association with uncleanly persons, 
or sleeping in apartments which they have occupied, wearing 
their clothing, or using their comb and brush. 

Diagnosis. This is superfluous, almost, to treat of, as nearly 
every mother has found them on the head of her "darling 
boy," through his association with untidy school fellows. 

The animal itself may be recognized quickly running over the 
scalp, as soon as the hair is parted, or sometimes even on the 
clothing, as Burns has rendered an instance 
famous in song from his " Ode to a Louse Seen 
on a Lady's Bonnet." 

The Pediculus Capitis is a little fellow, about 
the color of the fair skin of the child, see figure 
35, which represents a female quite highly mag- 
nified; they have a somewhat elongated body, 
distinct from the thorax, and upon both sides of 
the body are three legs, which terminate in 
claws, which enable it to grasp the hairs so as 
to aid it in locomotion. The anterior pair are usually the 




CRAB-LOUSE. 243 

The abdomen shows six distinct segmentations, and 
there is an opening in each, at the side, for the entrance of air to 
the respiratory organs, the tracheae of which inosculate quite 
freely with one another. Each individual has two eyes, one on 
each side of the head, and two antennae, or feelers. Recently 
naturalists have come to regard the antennae of all insects as 
the organs of hearing. It is supposed that they are so keyed or 
tuned, if you will permit such use of the terms for want of 
others better, to vibrate consonantly with sounds of a certain 
number of vibrations, too rapid or too slow, perhaps, for the 
human ear to notice, but which the insect is able appreciate. 

The ova, eggs, or "nits" as generally called, are deposited 
upon a hair-shaft near the roots, and are of the size of the eye 
of the finest cambric needle. The female has the power of 
emitting a gluey substance with them, which surrounds the 
shaft, and so the ova are held in place. The eggs are of an 
elongated oval shape, and have several conical prominences at 
the larger end, whilst the smaller end has, as it seems, a clump 
of bristles. When the young are hatched the ova-cases still 
cling to the hair, owing to the adhesiveness of the cementing 
material before spoken of. 

When the irritation, through scratching of the scalp, is 
severe, you get a matting together of the hair from the 
eczematous discharge and condition of the scalp. The head, 
in this case, smells badly, and the adjacent glands become 
involved. Such cases are, of course, attributable only to per- 
sonal neglect. 

' Treatment. This will be fully considered on page 246 of this 
chapter. 

PEDICULUS PUBIS (CRAB-LOUSE). 

Derivation. From the Latin pediculus, as before noted, and 
the Latin pubis, meaning the front part of the pelvis, because 



244 CRAB-LOUSE. 

it is here that it is generally found, except in cases of notorious 
personal negligence, when it may be found, as we have once 
seen it, in the arm-pits, eyebrows, and hair of both the head 
and chest. 

Diagnosis. From the fact that its haunts are chiefly confined 
to the hairs about the pubic region, the irritation, from scratch- 
ing, will be mostly about these parts. In the cases I have 
seen, the arm-pits have in each instance been equal sufferers, 
the natural heat there, the sweating, and irritation from the 
clothing, soon rendering the situation to the patient, from 
these causes, very distressing. 

The animal, a female, which is shown in 
the cut, figure 36, and quite highly magni- 
fied, is considerably different from the head- 
louse previously described. Its thorax is 
not distinct from the abdomen, and is flat; 
it is composed of eight segments, the two 
Flg - 36 " forward ones being united at the median 

line. It also has three pairs of legs, each one terminating in 
claws, a lobster's in miniature; the claws of the two posterior 
pairs of legs are much the stronger, and these enable the little 
animals to cling so tightly to the surface of the body, by seiz- 
ing hold of the hairs, that it is almost impossible to dislodge 
them; I have seen the hairs themselves loosen from their roots 
before the little fellows would let go. It is for this reason that 
chloroform vapor is confined over the infected parts so as to 
stupefy them, and thus aid in their removal. The females are 
always much the larger of the two sexes. Upon both sides of 
the abdomen are four small prominences, which contain, at the 
summit, a respiratory orifice; these prominences are surrounded 
by numerous small and finely pointed hairs. The tracheae inos- 
culate freely, one with the other, as in the species just described. 




BODY-LOUSE. 245 

Two ova ducts, arising each from a single ovary, lead into 
the vagina, which is placed near the last abdominal segment. 
The head is quite prominent, and contains two quite prominent 
eyes. The antennae consist, each, of four or five segments, 
armed at their bases with two short hairs. These organs are 
easily moved in any direction. 

The color of the crab-louse is much darker than its com- 
panion found commonly on the head; indeed it resembles a 
flake of bran, as much as anything, when seen hugging itself 
tightly down to the skin. 

Treatment. This will be considered on page 246 of the 
present chapter. 

PEDICULUS CORPORIS (BODY-LOUSE). 

Derivation. Pediculus, see beginning of the chapter. Cor- 
poris, from the Latin word corpus, meaning body; hence, 
body-louse. 

Diagnosis. Accurately speaking, this variety of the ano- 
plurse, or louse family, is not a denizen of the hair; for it 
makes its home in the clothing. Its " nits," though, 
are frequently attached to the hairs of the body, 
and sometimes to those of the head. 

It quite closely resembles the head-louse, as the 
accompanying cut, figure 37, will show. The body 
is a little more elongated, and the head is larger. 
It varies from one-half to two lines in length. 
The thorax is distinct from the body, and the 
hinder pair of legs have their origin upon it; it is 
also somewhat narrower than the thorax of the 
head-louse. Its anatomy otherwise is very similar. 

This is the little animal that worries the life out of closely 
confined prisoners. It also marches with an army as constantly 




246 BODY-LOUSE. 

as the supply train, and feeds upon the blood of its victims 
that it draws out from their skin through its proboscis that is 
plunged into them. The ancient Greek and Roman troops 
rebelled against its ravages, but all to no purpose; it was 
with Leonidas at Thermopylae, and with the Persians under 
Xerxes; with Napoleon, in Egypt, and with the armies of the 
Republic at Shiloh and Gettysburgh, and was found in myriads 
at the prison-pens of Andersonville and Richmond. 

In civil life the parasite usually attacks the aged, and persons 
of careless personal habits of middle age. They first attack 
the neck and shoulders, then, successively, the adjacent parts of 
the body. The animals may be most frequently found about 
the seams of the clothing, in company with their ova of a 
shining white color. There is more irritation following the 
" bite " of this species (though there is no bite proper), than of 
the others, and hence more rubbing, or irritation, is inflicted by 
the patient upon himself; the result being a more speedy 
follicular congestion, urticarious, impetiginous or eczematous 
condition. The pathognomonic lesion, as it is called, is but a 
hemorrhagic spec, due to the extravasation of blood into the 
follicle from the punctured capillary. 

Treatment. Under this heading we shall give that of the 
three forms of phtheiriasis, or louse disease, for what is adapted 
for the killing of one parasite is good to destroy the other; since 
after the destruction of the parasite and its ova, you have 
the cause of the disease removed, and then the accompanying 
skin irritation can be successfully treated. 

Water will, of course, drown them out, if the parts could be 
kept constantly immersed; and a bath of salt water or strong 
soap-suds, night and morning, will also aid materially in their 
destruction, as well as in soothing the scratched and otherwise 
irritated skin. Sometimes, as in the case of the body-louse, 



TREATMENT. 247 

a general bath, holding in solution some parasiticide, might be 
employed, though it is of more use to treat the clothes than 
the patient in this case. A temperature of 200° Fah. to 220° 
Fah., dry or wet, suffices to destroy the insect; not only the 
clothing worn upon the body, but also the bed-clothing should 
be thoroughly disinfected with heat. With regard to the 
other two varieties, the head and crab louse, a fine comb will 
tend to dislodge many, and a weak acetic acid solution, as one 
part of the acid to ten or twenty of water, bathed upon the 
" nitty " hairs will tend to dissolve the ova cases, and hence 
destroy the maturing parasite within; this application should 
be shortly followed by free washing. 

In regard to ointments and lotions, we notice that since the 
times of Paulus JEgineta and Celsus (and the use of the same 
remedy has been known in the Arabic school of medicine for 
centuries, its virtues being especially extolled by Alsaharavius 
and Rhases), stavesacre seeds have been recommended for the 
destruction of these pests; so popular a remedy has this 
become that, in Germany, they are familiarly called "louse 
seeds." Paulus recommended one part of the bruised seeds, in 
ointment, and two parts of alum should be used frequently 
after the body has been well washed. A more elegant way 
would be, perhaps, to take the bruised seeds, of the proportion 
of two drachms to an ounce of oil, and boil them, and then 
strain; the oil could then be perfumed with a few drops of oil 
of bergamot or sassafras, and then quite freely apply to the 
affected locality, repeating in twenty-four hours or so. Where 
discoloration of the skin, from the presence of a colored 
unguent, is of no moment, the officinal unguentum hydrargyri, 
the ordinary mercurial ointment, in bits of the size of a pea, 
rubbed well into each groin or into each arm-pit, or a bit the 
size of a hazelnut, when applied to the head, makes a very 



248 TREATMENT. 

effectual parasiticide. After once applying, wait a few days, 
when the same amount may be again used. 

A more elegant preparation would be the unguentum hydrar- 
gyri ammoniati (white precipitate ointment); the strength 
of this varies. The English make theirs with 62 grains of the 
mercury to the ounce of simple ointment, whereas the Ameri- 
cans make theirs with 40 grains to the ounce of the ointment. 
A few drops of some sweet-scented oil could be added to each 
ounce of the medicated ointment, and it would then make a very 
fine preparation. This is used in the same manner as the ordi- 
nary blue, or mercurial ointment just spoken of. Either of these 
ointments should be allowed to remain on a day or two before 
washing off. 

Sometimes, for certain reasons, a lotion is a more agreeable 
form of prescribing a parasiticide; in this case one of the fol- 
lowing might be used, after the parts are cleansed as thoroughly 
as possible. 

J$. Hydrarg. bichloridi (corrosive sublimate), grs. ij (2 grains). 
Aquae (water), 
Alcoholis (alcohol, dilute), aa. (of each) I ss Q/ 2 ounce). 

M. S. Poison. For external use only. 

As this is a poisonous solution it should not be applied to 
excoriated surfaces. It is more suited for the crab-louse, and 
may be quite freely applied upon the infected regions if the 
skin be not broken. 

^. Hydrarg. bichloridi (corrosive sublimate), grs. ij (2 grains). 
Aquas cologniensis (cologne water), § ij (2 ounces). 

M. S. Poison. For external use only. 

This makes a nice solution to be applied to the head or body, 
when afflicted with the head or body-louse. It should also be 
kept out of the reach of children. Usually a few applications 
is all that is required. 



L 



STEAT0Z00X, OR ACARUS POLLICULORUiT. 249 

It should be remembered that in ten or twelve days a new 
progeny puts in their appearance, hence another series of 
applications should be made in order to rid the patient of their 
marauderings. These are from the ova that the applications 
may not have reached, and so not have killed. 

The eczema, impetigo or other skin irritation will need treat- 
ment in the worst class of cases; this need be no different than 
that recommended in the previous chapters devoted to these 
complaints. While these diseases may favor the production of 
lice, by affording a secure place for the deposition and hatching 
out of the ova (nits), they are by no manner of means to be 
considered as generating, de novo, the parasites, as ancient 
authors affirmed. 

It may be interesting to note that there is an opinion extant 
among the laity that these vermin may cure bodily diseases, if 
taken internally. Thus, sailors believe that if a sufficient 
quantity of the body-lice be eaten in jam, or otherwise, that 
they will cure liver disease. Some of the North American 
Indian tribes think there is no greater delicacy than the head- 
louse, and oftentimes they are seen hunting each others heads 
through in pursuit of game too small for the use of the bow 
and arrow, though no less dainty, in taste, to them. 

STEATOZOOX, OR ACARUS FOLLICULORTLtf. 

Derivation. Steatozoon, from the Greek words areap, mean- 
ing fat, and £goov, meaning animal; folliculorum is the geni- 
tive plural form of the Latin word folliculus, meaning a little 
sac or follicle; the whole then would be "the fat-animal of the 
follicles." 

Causes. These are unknown. The insect is found only in 
the sebaceous follicles of the face and head, and in the ears, and 
is not necessarily a parasite of the hair; but being so closely 



250 



STEATOZOON, OR ACARUS F0LLICUL0RUM. 




Fig. 38. 



connected with the subject, I have thought best to treat of 
it briefly. 

Diagnosis. They are found plentifully, as two out of every 
ten individuals can furnish specimens for 
examination. They are met with in greasy 
and oily-skinned individuals, in the so-called 
"grubs," or little rolls of sebaceous matter 
that are squeezed out of the skin upon the 
nose, cheeks, forehead, or behind the ears. 
Not all persons having these little roulettes of 
sebaceous matter are subject to the parasites 
though. The steatozoon delights most to 
inhabit the follicles of brunettes, or those of 
soft, oily skins. As many as ten or fifteen have 
been discovered in a single follicle, though 
the usual number is from two to four. 
In the plate there are two varieties of the parasite shown, 
though both are found in the same individual. One is much 
the shorter and thicker than the others; reasoning from the 
analogy of the other parasites, the different sizes must be the 
characteristic difference of the sexes, or the different ages of 
the specimens. 

The head has, near its base, two palpi, corresponding to the 
antennae of insects, jointed and short; the proboscis is 
cylindrical, and is surmounted by a small, three-cornered, bristly 
organ. The head and thorax are united, the whole being 
about one-fifth, in the long specimens, of the length of the 
body. The entozoon has four pairs of triple-jointed legs and 
feet, which terminate in three fine, hair-like claws. 

Treatment. Nothing is specially necessary, as it is not yet 
known that its presence is in any way deleterious to health, 
although, when mentally considered, it is not a very agreeable 



SARCOPTES HOMINIS (iTCH INSECT). 



251 



companion. As the retained sebaceous matter, comedones, is 
really acne, a skin disease proper, anything useful in curing 
this would also be useful in ridding one's self of these parasites. 
As a hygienic preventative, probably frequent ablutions with 
pretty strong soap-suds, followed by brisk rubbing with a hemp 
towel, would be as good a plan of treatment as any to be 
followed. 

SARCOPTES HOMINIS (iTCH INSECT). 

Derivation. From the Greek words ffapi;, meaning flesh 
(genitive form, 
GapxoS), and 
xonTGo, I tease; 
also the Latin 
word homo, 
meaning man, 
genitive form 
hommis ; the 
whole name 
would then 




mean "I tease 
the flesh of 
man;" certain- 
ly a very appli- 
cable name for 
this vexatious 
parasite. 

Description. 
Though this 
parasite is not 
often the cause 
of many hair- 
troubles, yet it is so closely connected with the subject that a 



Fig. 39. 



252 



SARCOPTES HOMXNIS (iTCH INSECT.) 



somewhat extended notice of the matter will not be out of 
place in this treatise. Sometimes, however, it does become 
the cause of hair troubles, and may lead, indirectly, through 
the excoriations produced by scratching, to the establishment 
of a breeding-ground for some of the tinese before described. 

Figure 39 is the plate of an eight-legged female Sarcoptes 
hominis as seen under a glass magnifying 130 diameters, or 
nearly 13,000 times; the natural length of the insect is about 
the T^g- of an inch. 

The female insect is much larger than her mate, the male, as 
will be seen in the following cut, Fig. 40. The body of both 
sexes is globose, soft, and on the back there are numerous little 
pustules. The mandibles or jaws, are small and scissors-like. 

In the figures of 
the insects here 
shown, the ventral 
surface only is 
plated. The fe- 
male, it will be 
noticed, figure 39, 
has a few short 
spines standing 
out from the ab- 
dominal surface, 
more than has the 
male (see Fig. 40). 
It will be noticed, 
also, that the hind 
pair of legs of the 
female are imper- 
fectly developed, 
as they end only 
in quite long bristly hairs; whereas the male has his, the inner 




Fig. 40. 



SARCOPTES HOMLNIS (iTCH INSECT.) 



253 



and posterior pair, ending in a globular, sucker-like expansion, 
the same as is seen upon the front legs. The female, also, 
has a pair of three-jointed palpi projecting out from the head, 
which the male does not have. Figure 40 shows a male mag- 
nified some 300 diameters, or nearly seventy thousand times. 

The number of ova laid by the female varies considerably, 
though usually from twenty to fifty eggs are deposited. The 
deposition is made after a mining, or boring, is made through 
the skin, and a sort of a gallery, more or less irregular in form, 
has been excavated. These galleries may vary from the one- 
fourth of an inch t.o five inches in length. The female insect 
is alone the burro wer, the male contenting himself with hiding, 
or living, beneath the scales of the scarf-skin. As fast as the 
female deposits her eggs she enlarges her domains, by mining 
still deeper or further along in her victim's skin, blocking her 
road of entrance up by a fresh deposition of her ova until her 
life-time has been lived, varying from two to four months, if 
left to nature. Fig. 41 shows a portion of such a gallery 
highly magnified, and with the eggs in differ- 
ent stages of incubation, deposited along its 
centre. The entrance to these galleries is 
perpendicular to the surface of the skin, 
but after the skin is penetrated a short dis- 
tance, the gallery runs along it obliquely, or 
even horizontally as regards the skin-surface. 
It is these mining operations that causes the 
intense itching that patients, so afflicted, feel, 
especially at night, when the heat of the bed 
has warmed the little fellows up to their work. 
The pustules on the skin usually mark the place of entrance to 
the gallery, and in these the insects are not found; their home, 
in this respect, is very like a rabbit's, in that they live further 




Fig. 41. 



254 



SARCOPTES HOMLNIS (iTCH INSECT.) 



along their burrows; hence, to obtain specimens of the insects 
for examination, you must go a little distance from the pustule 
with your needle or narrow-bladed knife. The ova are about 
fourteen days in hatching, the process of incubation being 
maintained by the heat of the victim's body. Sometimes the 

insects will be found six-legged, as in 
Fig. 42. Some authorities have sup- 
posed these to be a new genus of the 
Sarcoptes, but in this they have been 
mistaken. They are the immatured 
insect, or those which have not moult- 
ed. In this country they are not 
usually seen, as the disease is not 
allowed to go on so far as to furnish 
the insects in sufficient quantities for 
them to be readily found at this stage 
of the growth. In Norway they are 
quite commonly met with, and from 
this fact some have also been led to 
believe them a peculiar variety of Sarcoptes matured only in 
that country. Mr. Anderson, though, has found them on a 
case at Wurzburg, Europe; he says that on a crust not fa of 
an inch square he found eight of these six-legged Sarcoptes, 
with two eight-legged matured females. On a Norway crust, 
i of an inch square, Mr. Richardson, of Dublin, found one 
hundred of these six-legged specimens. 

This parasite was known some 4,000 years ago to the Chinese, 
according to Captain Darby, who has looked the matter up in 
their early medical records. They then named it tchong kiai. 
In the twelfth century Avenzoar described the parasite, and 
gave a crude figure of it. All record, however, seems then to 
have been lost, and as late as 1821 Lugol offered a prize of 300 




Fig. 42. 



SAECOPTES HOMIXIS (iTCH INSECT.) 255 

francs to any one that would demonstrate an insect as a cause 
of this complaint. In 1834 Francois Renucci demonstrated its 
presence, and so stopped the controversy. Yet, before the time 
of either of these two men, G-ales, in 1812, issued a monograph 
on the subject, and plated the animalcule, though his illustration 
resembled much a cheese mite. Still, in spite of all this, our 
homoeopathic brethren to this day are throwing Lugol's gauntlet 
in the face of all scientific research by continually asserting, in 
the publication and adoption of the precepts of Hahnemann's 
Organon (see page 239), that nearly one-third of the "ills flesh 
is heir to " are owing to the pernicious influences of this self- 
same flesh-teasing insect. 

Treatment. From our great-grandmother's days sulphur has 
stood at the head of the domestic remedies ; a bolus of it is 
given, mixed with molasses, and the child is smeared with the 
sulphur incorporated with lard, say one-half or one drachm of 
the sulphur to one ounce of the lard. This is, really, a very 
excellent remedy, though many a youngster rebels against it. 

Another very cheap and sure remedy, although somewhat 
objectionable on account of its odor, is the sulphuret of potas- 
sium. This, in the amount of one or two ounces to a couple of 
quarts of water, makes an excellent parasiticide for any of the 
insects that infest the body of man. It should be used as a 
wash, bathing the parts thoroughly three or four times at 
intervals of every day or two. In ten or twelve days another 
course of bathing must be undertaken, so as to secure the 
destruction of the newly-hatched Sarcoptes. 

Tilbury Fox's favorite prescription is : 

R;. Sulphuris (sulphur), 3 ss (\ drachm) . 

Hydrargyri ammonio-chb. (white precipitate), grs. iv (4 grains). 
Creasoti (creasote), gtts. iv (4 drops). 
Anthemidis ol. (oil chamomile), gtts. x (10 drops). 
Adipis (lard), 5 j (1 ounce). 

M. Apply night and morning for three days, rubbing it in well over the seat of 
eruption upon the wrists and between the fingers, etc. 



256 



PULEX IRR1TANS, FELIS, OR CANIS (FLEAS). 



After the sixth application the body should be washed thor- 
oughly, and the clothes and bedding entirely changed. In 
eight or ten days the same process should be repeated. 

Neumann's favorite prescription is one drachm of the flowers 
of sulphur to one ounce of lard, rubbing it well on the affected 
parts morning and evening for three days. Then a soap and 
water bath, and clean clothes for eight or ten days, when you 
repeat the process again. The mercuric bichloride solution, 
given on page 248 will also prove effectual, though it is more 
dangerous to use. 

PULEX IRRITAKS, FELIS, OR CANIS (FLEAS). 

Derivation. From the Latin words pulex, meaning a flea, 
and irritans, irritating ; felis, " of a cat," or eanis, u of a 
dog ;" in other words, irritating flea, cat flea, and dog flea; 
these are the three varieties usually found on man. 

Description. The accompanying illustration, figure 43, is a 

cut of the cat 
flea as seen 
when highly 
magnified. 
This is the 
variety most 
generally found 
on our persons, 
for the reason, 

probably, that 
Fig. 43. r J 

cats are com- 
monest in the house. The P. irritans, or the variety of the 
human flea, resembles this one very closely ; the only essential 
difference being that it is smaller than the P. felis. The P. canis 
is about the same size and color of the P. felis. Many natur- 




PULEX IRRITANS, FELIS, OR CANIS (FLEAS). 257 

alists regard the three fleas given as but varieties of one and 
the same species. 

Fleas are usually of a chestnut, or brown color, and have the 
unpleasant habit of biting as they run, giving one a nip each 
time they jump. In this respect they are much worse than the 
louse, or mosquito, for these are satisfied with one bite at a 
meal. Sometimes you will find constitutions that are very sus- 
ceptible to the poisoning of the bites of fleas, and the skin 
grows quite swollen and angry-looking around each little 
wound. There is even one case on record of death from a flea- 
bite, erysipelas having set in in the wound, and so carried off 
the patient. 

The females here are also larger and plumper than the males, 
and they deposit their ova among the hairs, slightly sticking 
them to a shaft. The eggs are quite small, are of an elongated, 
oval shape, and are nearly white. In about two weeks they 
hatch out into larvae, as shown in figure 44. These larvae are, at 
first, but the one-sixteenth of an inch in length, the 
head being of a pale yellow color, and the body cov- 
ered with bristly hairs, as seen through the micro- 
scope. They have no feet, but move by wriggling 
themselves about by the aid of the hairs and the 
two spines at the posterior end of the body. If the 
weather is warm they mature and grow quite rapidly, 
so that by the end of ten days, or two weeks, they 
spin for themselves a silky cocoon, and pass to the 
stage of pupa life. In about two weeks more the lg ' ' 
further change in life is completed, and they emerge from their 
pupa-cases ready to jump upon and bite the first animal or 
human being that comes within their leap. Several broods are 
reared each season from a mated couple. 

Treatment. Of course all suspected dogs and cats must be 

17 




258 PLEUROCOCCUS BEIGELII (CHIGNON EUNGUS). 

at once forbidden the premises, and their kennels thoroughly 
cleansed and disinfected, and their bedding renewed. Sulphur 
smoke, confined in these places for a few hours, will destroy the 
parasites lurking therein. A wash, of sulphuret of potassium 
similar to that described on page 255, can be applied thoroughly 
to the fur and hair of the infected animals, and to our own 
bodies for that matter, in order to rid these parts from the par- 
asites. Or a wash of ordinary naphtha or benzine, of the 
strength of ten parts to one hundred of water, might be substi- 
tuted for this ; carbolic acid, used in the same strength, makes 
another excellent parasiticide. Dusting the animals, and their 
sleeping places, with the Persian insect powder, which is made 
from the leaves of the pyrethrum carneum, will also be found to 
be an agreeable and sure way of freeing ourselves, and our house- 
hold pets, from these unfriendly visitors. 

PLEUROCOCCTJS BEIGELII (CHIGNON EITNGUS). 

A few years ago the feminine fashionable world was very 
much startled by the promulgation of the finding of living 
animal organisms uj^on and within the hairs that formed their 
artificial coiffures. They hardly knew which to do, whether 
to throw off their tresses not their own, and so fly in the 
face of fashion, or to run the risk of being devoured by 
these minute intruders upon their privacy, by continuing the 
use of this fashionable article of head attire. The matter 
finally came to the attention of microscopists and derma- 
tologists, and scientific investigation was given the matter. 
The question was speedily settled that the troublesome intruder 
into the fashionable circles was a little fungoid plant that 
attached itself to the hairs, and so grew. There was danger, 
however, of positive skin and hair disease resulting, but the 
danger was overestimated. As I never have yet had a chance 



PLEUEOCOCCUS BEIGELII (CHIGNON FUNGUS). 259 

for investigating the subject, I give you Dr. Tilbury Fox's 
description of the parasite: 

" If we take a hair on which these parasitic fungi are found, 
we notice little dark spots, the size of pin-points, surrounding 
the shaft, especially towards the point; they are difficult to 
detach, and surround the hair equally in all directions. They 
may be scraped off with a little trouble. If placed under the 
microscope, with a quarter-inch objective, there will be 
observed fungi made up of two forms: one in the center, 
composed of cells, undergoing the transformation to a mycelial 
condition (see page 202); the second consisting of large round 
and oval spores, the size of the smaller achorion spores, and 
with distinct nuclei (see page 217). The whole of the mass is 
outside the hair, the structure of which remains healthy; its 
cuticle, however, is intimately connected with the cellular 
aggregation, and it is easily torn away from the fibrous portion 
of the hair, leaving the shaft somewhat roughened. The 
original source of the germs of the fungus in question is quite 
uncertain; it may be the water used for washing, or it may be 
from the rectum of the louse, as has been suggested. 

" These cell-structures found on the hair can be made to 
develop, for they seem to be in that condition which is most 
favorable for rapid and free growth, and the entire aspect of 
that development is that of a fungus. Placed in water, the 
cells enlarge and subdivide, get filled with granules that move 
about within the cell-wall, and assume a greenish tint. Mr. 
Lankester has grown them in soup, and I have watched them 
germinating in water, sugar-and-water, and liquor potassoe. 

" The power of the fungus to produce disease depends upon 
the implantation of the early phase of the fungus upon the 
scalp or surface of an illy-nourished person. I have no hesita- 
tion in saying, under these circumstances, that a parasitic 



260 PLEUROCOCCUS BEIGELII (CHIGNON EUNGUS). 

pityriasis, or a severe form of tinea, would result. Of the 
nature of the parasite, I entertain not the least doubt; and 
whatever may be said to the contrary, the illustrations I have 
given attest the fact that it belongs to the same class as the 
achorion and the oidium." 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 

The Bible, although the church has often fulminated its 
dogmas against the wearing of the hair long, has wisely left 
it an open matter to each individual as to how he may best 
dress this natural covering that Nature gives him. Isadore 
Hispalensus asserts that the clerical tonsure is of apostolic 
origin. Certainly there is no evidence of this in the New 
Testament, save the one passage from St. Paul's writings 
wherein he says that "if a man has long hair, it is a shame unto 
him; but if a woman have long hair, it is a glory unto her." 
But this must be understood as a historical narrative; one 
descriptive of the then existing custom of the nation he was 
writing to and of; not that it was a commandment designed 
for religious observance. The context shows this clearly. The 
Catholic church has the credit for making this innovation upon 
the manners of Christendom, for their Pope, Anicetus, was the 
first to cry out against the clergy's wearing long hair. 

In the eighth century people were accustomed to have the 
first cutting of their children's hair made by persons whom 
they held in special esteem or honor. By so doing these persons 
became, in a measure, a sort of a spiritual god-father to the child. 
When this cutting could not be done in person, a lock of the 
hair that was first cut, was sent to the individual, out of similar 
regard and for a similar purpose. This is what led Constantine 
to send the Pope a lock of the hair of his son Heraclius. 



262 DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 

Besides the canon of A. D. 1096, referred to on a previous page, 
we have Luitprand's famous declamation against the Emperor 
Phocas, because he persisted in wearing his hair long, after the 
manner of the Eastern emperors. Then there was Theopilas, 
who was bald himself, who encouraged all his subjects to shave 
their heads, possibly after the reasoning of the fox who lost his 
tail in the ice and so tried to persuade all of his companions 
to let their tails freeze up in an ice cake also, as the tail 
was but a useless member. Anyhow, the clergy were obliged 
to wear shaven crowns for centuries, and many laws were 
enacted to prevent their wearing their hair, long or concealing 
their bare pates with any wearing apparel, for many thought 
to be shaven a great mortification. At a council held in 
Toledo, A. D. 633, the shaving of the crown was formally pre- 
scribed, and it was called the corona clericalis. 

Then there has been a great fight, these later years, between 
the several schools of clergy upon the shape that the shaven 
patch upon their heads should take; the English clergy insisted 
that it should be circular, but the Scots and Picts insisted that 
the semi-circle was the correct thing. 

The famous bishop of Worcester, St. Wulstan, declaimed 
vehemently against all luxuries, but most especially against 
long hair; and so he used to carry a long knife about with him, 
and when any one with long hair bowed before him for his 
blessing he would first clip the hair with his knife before pro- 
nouncing it. In case the suppliant refused to have his hair 
so cut, the strongest anathemas were hurled at him. The 
Archbishop of Canterbury, Anselm, also went so far as to 
excommunicate all wearers of long hair. Serlo, the great 
Norman bishop, preached, in 1104 A. D., a memorable sermon 
before Henry I. and his courtiers against the long hair which 
thev wore, and it so worked upon their minds that he prevailed 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 263 

upon them to let him cut the flowing locks from their heads. It 
is also related that one magnate, in his enthusiasm to find a 
text against long hair, took this as one: "Let him that is upon 
the house top not come down," and made the assertion, when 
decrying the manner of dressing of the hair by the ladies, that 
of being piled high upon the head, that this text referred, 
specially to this form of wearing the hair, and changed the text 
to read " top-knot come down." 

Under Hugh Capet custom allowed the law to grow lax, 
and long hair again made its appearance. This soon incensed 
the bishops, and the thunders of excommunication again began 
to be heard, and Peter Lombard so pressed home the matter 
upon Charles the Young that he cropped his hair; and his 
successors, for several generations, kept up the custom. A 
very learned professor at Utrecht, 1650, wrote a dissertation 
" whether it be lawful for men to wear long hair," and decided 
in the negative. However, another divine, equally learned, 
Reeves, by name, replied to this in the affirmative. 

The ancient Hebrews esteemed long hair an element of 
beauty, and baldness was spoken of against them as a punish- 
ment (Isaiah, iii, 24), see also page 132. The Hebrew women 
took great pains in plaiting their hair, and kept it confined with 
gold and silver pins, and they also adorned it with precious 
stones (Isaiah, iii, 17,22.) Josephus says the body guard of 
Solomon had long, flowing hair, and they dressed it daily with 
gold dust, so that its glittering effect would be increased when 
in the sunshine. The priests, though, cut their hair every two 
weeks, when serving in the temple. Scissors were used for 
this purpose. Black hair was most highly esteemed by this 
nation. 

The customs of the Assyrians, Egyptians and Peruvian Incas 
will be spoken of in a following chapter. 



264 DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 

The Greeks wore their hair, as a rule, short; the ladies, on 
the contrary, allowed theirs to grow as long as possible. Both 
sexes cat their hair just before their marriage and conse- 
crated it to some deity. Up to puberty, both the Greeks and 
Romans allowed the hair to grow long; it was then cut off, 
with a good deal of ceremony, and dedicated to some river or 
deity; the youths, so treated, then adopted the toga virilis, or 
the dress emblematical of manhood. In the later times of 
the Roman Empire the youths' hair received three cuttings; 
the first when at seven years of age, the second when at 
fourteen, and the third when at twenty-one; at this later 
period the beard was also cut. Cutting the hair close was 
held in great dishonor; hence, prisoners, and slaves who had 
committed offenses, were subjected to this form of punish- 
ment; this is now performed on the heads of our penitentiary 
subjects. *. 

Adulteresses were also punished by having their hair cut 
from their heads, and it was not allowed to grow out again for 
a year. The women considered this loss of the head-covering 
one of the worst calamities that could befall them. Hence 
this from Martial, when anathematizing a woman: 

" May the salmander, whose detested oil 
Will from the human head the hair despoil, 
Upon thy skull his poison leave, 
That it may to thee ever cleave. 
May the razor shave it off, 
That thou may'st become a scoff." 

Hence, too, the assertion of Lucius Apuleius (A. D. 200), in 
the second book of the " Milesiaks," that "Even Yenus herself, 
if she were destitute of hair, though surrounded by the Graces 
and Loves, would have no charms to please her own husband — 
Vulcan." 

The Lombards also cropped the hair as a means of punish- 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



265 



merit for petty thefts; and among the Saxons, thefts in day- 
light, to the amount of three shillings (sachsenspiegel), were 
punished in a similar way. Hence the old judicial expression, 
in Germany, of "jurisdiction of the skin and hair;" that is, 
jurisdiction over minor offenses, the highest punishment of 
which was flogging (as relative to the skin) and cutting the 
hair. 

Fair hair was much esteemed by both the Greeks and 
Romans, and so they not only dyed and gold-dusted theirs (see 
chapter on Hair Dyes), but also went so far as to gild the hair 
of their statues, as notably those of Venus de Medici and 
Apollo. In the time of Ovid (A. IT. C. 711) much fair hair 
was imported from Germany, by the Romans, as it was con- 
sidered quite the fashionable color. Those Roman ladies who 
did not choose to wear wigs of this hue, were accustomed to 
powder theirs freely with gold dust, so as to give it the fashion- 
able yellow tint. 

Both nations made use of pins to fasten up their heads of 
hair, inserting them in rows, oftentimes, 
about the crown of the head. In the \y f 
earlier Grecian and Roman days the 
manner of wearing the hair, either with 
or without pins, was exceedingly sim- 
ple, on the part of the ladies ; but as 
the Empire grew in age and riches, a 
more rich and profuse style of head- 
dressing came into vogue. In figure 45 
is given a representation of the differ- 
ent kinds of these pins, hair pins they 
can be properly called, though the Romans called them needles, 
acicula, because they originally had eyes, though, after a time 
a knob took the place of the eye. The pins varied from one 



LJ 



& 



Fig. 45. 



266 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



and a half inches to eight inches in length, and were made 

either of wood, bone, ivory or metal. The engraving is a 

copy of those in bronze. The principal use of the shorter ones 

was in fastening the clothing, the longer for fastening the 

hair. 

A peculiar though quite common way of doing up the hair is 
seen in figure 46, which represents the 
hair as being in braids, and then fastened 
by having the braids transfixed by a sin- 
gle one of these ornamental bronze hair- 
pins. 

A more usual way of dressing the hair 
is seen in figure 47, which shows a lady 
in royal robes, with her hair drawn up 
into the form known among the Greeks 
as corymbus, which more literally sig- 
nifies the hair at the top of the head. 
Sometimes the hair is not so elaborately 

dressed, or drawn up so high, though known by the same name, 

as seen in figure 49, which is the head of the great goddess 

Diana. The hair is here drawn up from 

all around the head, to the crown, and 

there fastened in a simple bow, or knot, 

with the aid of either ribbon (for the 

ancients frequently made use of ribbons in 

their hair) or pins. Men frequently wore 

their hair in a somewhat similar manner, 

and it received the similar name. You see 

this in the head of Apollo Belvidere, figure 

48. Instead of a simple band or bow at 

the top of the head to bind these loops of hair, a pin was some- 




Fig. 46. 




Fig. 47. 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIE. 



267 




Fig. 48. 



Fig. 49. 



times made use of to assist in fastening the hair. This was 

usually, in the case of the 

Athenian ladies, in the 

shape of a grasshopper, 

so as to indicate that they 

were aborigines. 

The Greeks had nine dif- 
ferent names for the hair, 
according to the style in 
which it was worn ; the 
Romans had five names to 
answer the same purpose. 

(1) The Greek word i'Oeipa stood for a head of hair when 
carefully dressed. 

(2) Xairr/ meant long flowing hair, though properly the mane 
of a horse or lion. This is typical of the locks of Jove as 

seen in Figure 51, where the 
lion's face, Figure 50, is 
contrasted with his. The 
hair, the attribute of 
strength in this case (as 
also in Samson's), rises up 
from the forehead, and 
rolls back in loose curls 
down the cheeks, until the 
beard is reached and finally 
included in the curling mass. This same rolling condition of 
the hair is presented as a type in the descendants of Jupiter, as 
on JEsculapius, Alexander, etc. All the heads of Jupiter bear 
this same peculiarity of cranial covering. Indeed, all the divin- 
ities of the Greeks have a cranial covering peculiar to them- 
selves, and it is seen constantly in their portraits or statues ; 




Fig. 51. 



268 DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 

and so marked is this that one can, by the dressing of the hair 
alone, tell which one of the gods is intended to be portrayed. 
In the matter of the color of the hair, Apollo received the 
golden-colored locks; Mars had red hair and beard; Venus, yel- 
low, golden tresses; Minerva, flaxen braids concealed beneath 
her helmet. As a rule, in their poems, their warriors were 
men of reddish hair, their women with the golden tresses of 
Venus. 

(3) <Po/3r?, the state of the hair as seen in one under the influ- 
ence of fear. 

(4) Iloxa?, the hair when combed, or dressed. 

(5) Qpig, the general term for hair, and from the plural of 
which, rpixeZ, the Romans derived their general term tricce. 

(6) Kopar/, meaning simply the hair on the top of the head, 
and from which the term Jiopvjifio? (corymbus, just described) 
was derived. When men wore the hair in this style, as seen in 
the picture of Apollo, Figure 48, it was called HpoofivAoZ. This 
last form was used also to denote a net worn upon the hair as that 
seen in Figure 52, which is from a painting discovered on the 

walls of Pompeii. The woman is shown as 
dressed in the far-famed Coan robe, an arti- 
cle made from almost transparent material. 
The Grecian ladies were in the habit of wear- 
ing these nets at night, as well as in the day 

time, so as to prevent the snarling and tan- 
Fig. 52. ' r ° 

gling of their locks. These nets are of very 

ancient date as Homer makes mention of them in his Iliad, 

xxii, 469; they were then in common use. 

(V) MaAAoS, which literally means wool, refers to the short 

curly hair that is seen on the human species. This variety of 

hair is seen upon the head of Hercules, Figure 53, whose bust is 

in the British Museum. 




DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



269 




Fig. 53. 



(8) Kepa?, which has reference to the conibing^of the hair 
up from the temples so as to represent 
two horns; this is seen in all representa- 
tions of satyrs and fauns, and also in 
the lion's head, Figure 50. Some of the 
present tribes of Africa have a some- 
what similar way of combing the hair, 
as for instance that represented in Fig- 
ure 54. This, instead of imitating the 
contour of a faun's head and ears, in 
dressing the hair, imitates the Buffalo's 

horns. They take a piece of buffalo-hide, bent and hardened 
to the curve of the animal's horns, and on this they tie their 
hair in braids. 
Sometimes, in- 
stead of the two 
horns, a single 
horn will come 
down over the 
forehead and nose. 
The African tribes 
so dressing the 
hair were found 
by Liv ingstone 
on the the banks 
of the Congo. 

(9) KIkivvoZ 
was used to denote 
the hair that fell 
in ringlets, natural or artificial, about the head. 

The Romans had the following five terms for 
hair in its various form of dressings. 




Fig. 54. 



expressing 



270 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



(1) CapilluSy referring to hair in the abstract; agreeing with 
the fifth variety of the Greeks just given. 

(2) Crinus, referring to the hair when nicely dressed, agree- 
ing with the Greek term 7toxa? above given. 

(3) Ccesarius, referring specially to the hair of the male sex, 
as they wore it short. 

(4) Cincinnus, referring to the hair when carefully braided 
and encircled about the head, as seen in Fig. 46. These encirc- 
ling braids were sometimes termed annuli, and sometimes orbes. 

(5) Cirrus, meaning a lock of curly hair, and capronce, 
referring to the locks of hair that fell clown 
over the forehead; antim was also used to 
designate the locks that fell down over the ears. 
These three varieties can be seen in the head of 
Cupid, Figure 55, as now preserved in the 
British Museum. 

As illustrative of the way some of the noble 
Roman ladies dressed their hair, I will now 
give you the portraits of four well-known persons; they also 
illustrate four different periods of history in the Roman 
Empire. In the earlier days 
very little pretension was 
made to dressing or orna- 
menting the hair, on the part 
of the ladies ; it was suffered 
to fall in rolls about the head 
and shoulders, or else was 
gathered loosely up into a 
knot behind, as that seen in 
the statue of Venus, Figure 
70. The earlier Romans also allowed their hair to grow to 
quite a length; but at the period of the third century before 




Fig. 55. 




Fig. 56. 



Fig. 57. 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



271 



Christ, this custom must have gradually been done away with, 
as the works of art of that period show that short hair was 
common among the males. Then, too, the Romans of the 
Augustan age were accustomed to denominate their ancestors 
as intonsi (unshorn), and capillati (hairy). The word bar- 
barian has a similar meaning, denoting, primarily, a race of men 
leaving their beards unshorn, and was so used by the Romans 
to contradistinguish themselves, who were latterly shaven, from 
their contemporaries. 

Referring now to the illustrations, Figures 56 and 57, the 
first represents the head of Octavia, who lived about the time 
of the birth of Christ, and who was the niece of Augustus. 
Figure 57, is the head of Messalina (about 60 A. D.), the fifth 
wife of Claudius, probably one of the most profligate and licen- 
tious women who ever lived. In Figure 58, we have the head of 
Julia Sabina (about A. D. 
100), the wife of Hadrian. 
She lived unhappily with 
her husband, partly through 
her own asperity of tem- 
per, and partly through the 
gross immoralities of her 
spouse; she finally died 
from his misuse. Figure 
59, is the head of Plautilla, 
daughter of Fulvius Plau- 
tianus, of Africa, and wife of Caracalla, eldest son of the 
Emperor Severus. She was banished by him to the island of 
Lipara, where, seven years later (A. D. 211), she was, by his 
orders, put to death. It will be noticed that the style of dress- 
ing the hair, as is shown in the portraits just given, is not so 
very unlike that seen at the present day. 




Fig. 58. 



Fig. 59. 



272 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 




Fig. 60. 



A few pages back I spoke of the appearance of a certain 
style of coiffure constantly upon the heads 
of the Greek divinities; that it was pos- 
sible, from the arrangement of the hair alone, 
to determine which deity, of the major ones, 
was intended to be represented. I have 
just given the heads of Apollo, Diana, Jupi- 
ter, Hercules and Cupid, showing this pecul- 
iarity of the hair. In other of the deities 
this factor is equally constant. Pluto, for 
instance, has the hair longer and straighter 
than Jupiter, and his locks fall down over his 
forehead; this tends to give him the severe 
aspect due to the god of the infernal regions. 
This cut also shows the " modius " on his 

head, with a representation of the olive tree, as the oil of olives, 

rather than wine, was used in sacrifices to this deity. 

Neptune, the god of the sea, had hair 
somewhat similar to Pluto's, though it was 
not so long, lank and weird; it is also finer 
and straighter than Jupiter's. It seems to rise 
up and fall down in plaques, 
as if wet, a fitting character 
for the god of waters. 

While Apollo is usually 
represented with the 
KpcoftvloZ (crobylos), as 

seen in Figure 48, yet in early Greek sculpture 

he is represented with his hair long, uncut and 

flowing down over the back of his neck, as 

representative of youth, as is seen in Figure 

62, the original of which is in the British museum. Bacchus, 




Fig. 61. 




Fig. 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



273 



who also with Apollo, is emblematical of youth, wears his 
hair uncut. 

Mercury wears his 
beard curly and quite 
pointed, as is shown in 
Figure 64, and his hair is 
braided, as in the Etruscan 
style; it is also confined 
about his head with a fil- 
let, the same as Apollo 
(Figure 62) wears. In a 
later era the Greeks repre- 
sented him with wavy locks, as seen in Figure 63. 

Hercules, I have already 
given a picture of him, see 
Figure 53, has short, curly 
hair, like that between the 
horns of the bull; his neck 
is also shaped somewhat 
after the same model, short, 




Fig. 



Fig. 64. 




Fig. 



Fig. 66. 



thick and muscular, thus denoting great 
strength. The beard is also indicative of 
strength, in that it is short, curly and wiry. 
Juno has her hair parted in the middle 
of the head, and then combed up back- 
wards from the forehead, where it is held 
confined by a diadem, or corona, whilst 
the free ends fall gracefully down the 
back of the head over the shoulders, Figure 67 

18 




Fig. 67. 



274 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 




Fig. 68. 



Petronius, who wrote upon the customs of the Romans, in 
his time, thus spoke of Circe: Crines ingenio suo flexi, per 
totos se humeros essuderant. " Her hair, negligently flowing 
where it pleased, diffused itself over her shoulders." This, 
undoubtedly, was the manner in which the Roman ladies were 
then accustomed to wear their hair. 

The accompanying picture, which is the head of Queen 
Victoria in her younger days, shows a 
style of hair-dressing not so very unlike 
that of the more modest Grecian dames, 
or that given to the arrangement of the 
hair on some of the statues of Juno. 

Pallas (Minerva) is rarely seen unhel- 
meted; but when so represented, the hair 
is gathered up into a -knot at the back, and at some distance 
from the head, whilst the free ends fall down in parallel rows 
of curls. 

Yenus and Diana usually are dressed, as regards the hair, in 
the more simple style of the 
young Greek maidens; that 
is, with the hair parted in 
front, and then rolled back- 
wards from the forehead 
and tied in a simple knot, at 
the nape of the neck; the 
fore part being bound by a 
fillet running from back of 
the ears up over the temples, 
as is seen in Fig. 69, which is the head of one of Niobe's 
daughters. It is also frequently seen tied up at the back of the 
head, as in Fig. 70, which is a head of Venus herself. 




Fig. 69. 



Fig. 70. 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 275 

The head of Diana is given in Fig. 49, showing the usual 
style in which her hair was dressed; the hair of Venus is also, 
at times, similarly represented. 

Vestal virgins always cut their hair short on taking their 
vows; much the same custom is seen now among the Sisters of 
the Papal Church, before taking the vail. 

Wigs were also in common use among both the Greeks and 
Romans, as has been before alluded to in the chapter on Color- 
ing the Hair. When their hair turned gray they also used 
dyes to give it a darker color. 

The Carthaginians also made frequent use of the wig-maker's 
skill in the adjustment of false locks upon their own heads, and 
also sought the dyer's art. Those that were bald, and did not 
care to wear wigs, would content themselves in painting their 
bare crowns with a representation of hair. Martial, in his 
epigram to Phoebus, satirizing the custom, says: 

Unto thy secret thy false hair gives the lie ; 
Upon thy skull I painted locks espy. 
Disgracefully bald ! To shave hast thou no need; 
Use but a sponge, and from thy hair thou'rt freed. 

Ovid says that the peruke-makers " bought up all the spoils 
of the German heads to gratify the caprice of the petites 
mattresses, who were determined to conceal their fine black 
hair under a light wig." 

The Spartans, who were commanded by Lycurgus to wear 
their hair long, were accustomed to carefully comb and dress 
their hair just before going into battle. Leonidas and his 
followers, at ThermopylaB, were seen to be combing their long 
hair on the eve of the battle, by the spies of Xerxes, and when 
they reported this to the king, he was greatly incensed at their 
insolence, as he regarded it. However, Xerxes was mistaken 
in the motive that led the Spartans to do this; it was a part 



276 DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 

of their religious custom, and, in one sense, a funereal rite. 
The Greek and Roman sailors were also accustomed to cut 
their hair in times of extreme peril, and offer it to the gods in 
propitiation of their sins, thereby hoping to appease their 
anger and thus quell the storm. 

When Ptolemy the Third (B. C. 245), was about to make an 
expedition into Syria, to avenge some unkindness against his 
wife, Berenice, the sister of the Egyptian king, she cut off her 
locks of long, beauteous hair, and placed them in the temple of 
Yenus, thereby hoping to insure of the gods a propitious 
journey to her husband when on the seas. But, from their 
beauty, they tempted some sacrilegious scoundrel, who stole 
them from the temple just when her husband was in the midst 
of his wars. At this she became frantic with grief — she had 
no more cranial covering to offer up — so Canon, the astronomer, 
invented a lie to assuage her grief, and said that Jupiter, 
pleased with their beauty, had snatched the golden locks away 
and had hung them up among the stars; there her tresses can 
be seen at this day as the constellation Coma Berenice. To 
finish the story, her husband returned safely and victoriously, 
and Time, undoubtedly, gave her back her hair. 

Both sexes of both races were accustomed to cut their hair 
short when mourning for some near and dear friend; some- 
times they even went so far as to shave their scalps, or to tear 
the hair out by the roots. The hair was then laid upon the 
corpse, or it was thrown into the flames of the funeral pile, there 
to be consumed with the body. 

In Homer's Biad, Book xxxiii, it is stated that Achilles and 
his followers cut their hair and cast it upon the corse of Patro- 
clus: 

O'er all the corse their scattered locks they throw.— Cowpee. 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 277 

Sappho also states that when death had seized the young and 
blooming Temas, 

Her loved companions pay the rites of woe ; 

All, all, alas! the living can bestow. 

From their fair heads the graceful curls they shear, 

Place on the tomb and drop the tender tear.— Sherburn. 

Alexander the Great, on the death of his intimate friend 
Hepha?stion (B. C. 324), not only cut off his own hair, but also 
ordered that the tails and manes of all his horses and mules 
should be sheared. Herodotus also says that Mardonius (B. C. 
475), one of the generals under Xerxes, after suffering defeat, 
felt so grieved that he cut off his hair. 

On the death of Adonis, Bion says, the little cupids 

Shear their locks, excess of grief to show. — Fawkes. 

And Fawkes, in a note to this epigram, remarks: 

" It was practiced, perhaps not only in token of sorrow, but 
might have also a concealed meaning, that as the hair was cut 
from the head, and was never more to be joined to it, so was 
the dead forever cut off from the living, never more to return." 

Ezekiel (588 B. C.) alluding to the same custom says, 
concerning the mourning for the fall of Tyrus (Ezekiel, 
xxvii, 31), "and they shall make' themselves utterly bald for 
thee, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for 
thee with bitterness of heart, and bitter wailing." In Micah 
(750 B. C), chapter i, verse 16, a similar expression is found. 
In Jeremiah (600 B. C.) xvi, 6, occurs the following : "Both 
the great and the small shall die in this land; they shall not 
be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut them- 
selves, nor make themselves bald for them." 

They were also accustomed to hang the hair of a deceased 
friend, instead of our accustomed crape (perhaps this is where 
our custom had its origin), upon the doors of their houses pre- 



278 DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 

vious to their interment. This custom probably arose from the 
fact that they believed no one could die until Proserpina had 
cut off a lock of their hair. This, they looked upon as a sort 
of consecration of the person to the deities of the lower world. 
Virgil alludes to this in 

Nam, quia nee fato, merita nee morte peribat. 
******* 

Nondum illi flavum Porserpina vertice crinem 
Abstulerat. 

"For she fell neither by fate, nor by a meritorious death. 
Proserpina had not yet clipped a lock of yellow hair from the 
crown of her [Dido's] head." Horace, in alluding to the same 
thought, says: 

* * * * Nullum 

Sseva caput Porserpina fugit. 

" Not a head (no person) does the cruel Proserpina pass by." 
The ancient Gauls esteemed it an honor to have the hair 
long, and hence Cresar, when he had conquered them, not only 
made them "pass under the yoke," but deprived them of their 
long tresses also; then those that vowed perpetual submission 
retired to the cloisters, and shaved their heads. This feeling of 
humiliation, at the cropping of the hair, descended for genera- 
tions among the French people, and hence, under the first 
regime, to cut the hair of the heir to the crown was deemed an 
exclusion of his rights to the succession, and reduced him to 
the position of an ordinary subject. The kings and princes, 
during this period, wore their hair long ; though the subjects 
were made to have their hair cut short, as emblematic of their 
inferior state. They were also great admirers of red hair, 
although their descendants, at a period later, held it in abomi- 
nation. 

The ancient Britons, also, were proud of their long hair, and 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 279 

took great pride in the dressing of it. As to their beards, they 
shaved all but the upper lip; but the hair thereon they suffered 
to grow to its full length; thus also did the Gauls. To this 
extreme degree was this veneration for long hair carried, by 
this people, that it was deemed a great disgrace for a slave to 
touch it; if a warrior was ever condemned to death, his dying 
request would be that no slave might pollute his hair, with his 
touch, or that it should be dabbled in blood. 

In later years the Danes and Anglo-Saxons had an equal 
veneration for their hair — probably inheriting this feeling from 
their early ancestors. Young ladies, before marriage, wore their 
hair uncovered and unconfined; but as soon as married, they, 
in common with the other married women, cut it shorter, did 
it up, and wore head-dresses and other articles to confine it. 
To cut it short was deemed one of the greatest punishments 
that could be inflicted upon a lady. 

As the Roman freedmen were in the habit of shaving their 
foreheads, so that they might be distinguished from the slaves, 
so the early knights were in the habit of shaving theirs to dis- 
tinguish themselves from others, and also that no hold might be 
furnished an opponent, whereby he might drag them from their 
horses, should their helmet become lost, in the heat of the battle. 

To pull a hair from the head, and present it to a person, in 
some countries, was considered an act showing esteem. For 
this reason Clovis presented to Bishop St. Germier one which 
he had just pulled from his head, and in this action he was fol- 
lowed by his courtiers, thus, it is said, deeply impressing the 
bishop with their respect and regard. 

Coming now to our own times, we learn that the Indians of 
Tancuylabo (Hakluyt's "Voyages," Yol. Ill, K 459) "wear 
their hair long, reaching down to their knees, and tied as 
women used to do, with their hair laces." 



280 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



Among the Indian tribes of the Indian Archipelago, accord- 
ing to Captain Keppel, are found those that wear a large quan- 
tity of hair; some have it frizzed out, others have it colored 
white, others black or red. He says : "A man having his 
hair carefully divided down the middle, would present one side 
covered with a jet black pigment, while the other half would be 
bright red, or perhaps white. The men, five or six in num- 
ber, belonging to the same boat-crew were generally colored 
uniformly; that is, the same crew were black on the port and 
white on the starboard side. Others would paint a white ring 
around the head, just above the eyes and ears, which made it 
difficult to believe that the head was not confined in a close- 
fitting skull-cap." 

Quite similar to this, in point of fantasticness, is the manner 
of dressing the hair among the Fijians. They usually prefer 
black hair, though some aspire to white, flaxen, or even bright 
red, using sundry dyes and paints to accomplish this change of 
color. These heads of hair are often two or three feet in 

circumference, see Figure 71, and Mr. 

Williams (Fiji and Fijians, Yol. I) says he 

has seen heads of hair, 

in this style, that meas- 
ured nearly five feet in 

cir cumfer ence. Of 

course, being of such 

enormous size, the 

owner is unable to sleep, 

except by means of a 

neck-rest; and for this 
purpose they use small blocks of wood 
placed under their necks for their pillows. 
Some one, of a more fantastic turn will cut his smeared and 



- 




Fig. 71. 




Fig. 72. 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



281 



sticky locks down through the center, see Figure 72, much as 
a farmer will cut clown his hay-stack when he winter-feeds his 
cattle. Others will keep the hair all cropped 
pretty closely to the head, excepting that 
springing from the crown; this they will 
braid into strands, and, after stiffening them, 
will stand these strands straight up from the 
head. Another will have a fiery knot upon 
his crown, the rest of the scalp being abso- 
lutely bald. Another, 
his hair close, saving 
twelve or fifteen little 
Fig. 73. round bunches which 

he will suffer to grow up to quite a length, 




Figure 73, will cut 





Fig. 74. 

and will color them 
a bright red, or black, 
whilst the hair that 
is shorter he will 
paint a white color. 
Another one will let 
all of his hair grow 
out to the full length 
and will then color 
it, that on the top 
and back part of his head, a jet black, whilst that which is 



282 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



more forward upon the scalp, will be, for marked contrast, 
painted a glaring white, thus making it resemble a thick 
worsted hood that he is wearing upon his head; see Figure 74. 
Again, there will be others that will have their hair done up 
into many cones, the base being outwards, thus completely 
covering the hairy portion of the head. This last is very 
similar to one of the ways that one of the tribes of the interior 
of Africa have of wearing their hair, see Figure 75. This is 
a portrait, taken by Livingstone, of a Londa lady. This race 
is not that usually seen in Africa, since it approaches the 
Caucasian in form of face and feature. Their complexions 
are of a light olive cast. The hair of the females is frequently 
seen as here represented; often a second and smaller hoop, 
similarly connected with the hair, will be back of this forward 
one. 




Fig. 76. 



This cut, Figure 76, is the way one of the tribes oh the 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



283 



Quango were seen by Livingstone to wear their hair. It was, 
however, confined to the chiefs. The head here represented is 
that of a Bashinje chief. It will be here noticed that the chief 
has quite a lengthy beard growth. This is something very 
unusual for the African tribes. 

Fig. 77, represents 
one of the inhabi- 
tants of New Guinea, 
a Papuan. They are 
a mixed race, being 
a cross between the 
Malay and the Negro. 
The hair gives evi- 
dence of this; the 
Malays being a race 
noted for long, 
straight hair, and the 
Negro for short curly 
hair; in the union of 
the two we get this 
immense head of 
frizzled hair. The 
hair, in this race, 
seems to grow in 
tufts, and forms spiral twists, each in a degree separate from 
the others. These frizzled heads are so immense that they are 
rarely less than three feet in circumference. 

Figure 78, represents the head of a Cafuso woman. As for 
bushiness of hair, it will be seen to resemble, somewhat, that 
seen upon the Papuan, though it is hair of entirely different 
texture. The race is a cross between the South American Indi- 
an, of Brazil, and the African Negro, and more clearly furnishes 




Fig. 77. 



284 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



the midway ground between the crisp, curly hair of the Negro, 
and the lank, straight 
hair of the Indian or 
Malay. The Cafuso 
hair grows straight out 
from the head, and to 
the height or extent of 
a foot, or even eighteen 
inches, thus furnishing, 
sometimes, heads of hair 
nearly five feet in cir- 
cumference. 

Still another peculiar 



Fig. 78. 

and striking form of hair- 
growth is seen in the Solomon 
Islander, Fig. 79. He is in 
pretty close communion with 
the Papuan described in Fig. 
77, as his native land is but a 
few hundred miles to the east 
ft of New Guinea, lying right 
HpM under the equator. The tex- 



ture of his hair, however, is 
entirely different. The beard 
growth is also quite exuber- 
ant. Why the hair near the head should be so lank and 
straight, and yet so crinkly, if not curly, at the ends, admits 





DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



285 



of no easy solution. The race furnishes, however, a near 
approach to the native of Korth Australia, whose portrait is 
given in Fig. 80. Here the excessive growth of head hair in 




the Papuan, and Solomon Islander, has given place to a more 
exuberant beard-growth, and growth of body hair. The face 
is one between the African and Malay. It was taken from a 
photograph. 

Coming, now, more closely home in the consideration of the 
absurdities of style in coiffures, we find that, not so very long 
ago, it was endeavored to imitate butterflies, ships, birds, castles, 
flowers, mammoth snail shells, etc., in the arrangement of 



286 



DIFFERENT MODES OF DRESSING THE HAIR. 



our ladies' tresses. Wire frames were used to do this, much 
as the florist uses wire frames on which to model his wares of 
cut flowers and mosses. A still later style was to put large 
cushions or rolls upon the head, and then pile the hair up on 

top of them, as seen in Fig. 81, 
which is a portrait of Georgiana 
Cavendish. No less backward, 
in the employment of false hair, 
chignons, perukes, etc., were 
the males, a few years ago. 
Just what should have led to 
this absurd custom, the assum- 
ing of long hair by the male 
when in court dress, is not very 
clear; possibly it originated as 
a reaction from the effect of the 
absurd laws that were formerly 
enacted against long hair. Men 
are very like pendulums in their 
ideas and customs, rapidly swing- 
ing from one extreme to the other. 

In the time of Francis I., of France, it was customary to 
wear long hair at court; but the king, having received a wound 
upon the head, was so proud of it, that he had his hair cut, in 
order that he might show the scar to a better advantage. Short 
hair then became general; but in the time of Louis XIII., the 
old-time fashion of wearing the hair long became fully restored, 
to be given up again shortly after the revolution. About this 
time, also, the long, white courtwigs, of England, began to go 
out of fashion, and are now worn only by the Chancellors, 
Peers, etc., on state or official occasions. 




Fig. 81. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



THE HAIR OF THE ANCIENT ASSYRIANS, EGYPTIANS AND 
PERUVIAN INCAS. 

The ancient Assyrians were preeminently a race of elliptical- 
haired people. Their monuments attest this in the portraiture 
of their finely curling locks and beards. Though no locks have 
come down to us, yet their sculptured marbles are so truthful 
in their delineation, even to the fine lace upon their garments, 
that one can as easily form a correct judgment of the general 
shape of the hair-cylinder, on transverse section, as though he 
had a segment of a veritable hair beneath his microscope. 
jSTone but the ovoid or elliptical variety of hair will assume 
the regular curling form of hair and beard that this nation wore. 

Fig. 82 and Fig. 83 represent 
the heads of an Assyrian 
king and queen. Undoubt- 
edly the climate of their 
country had much to do with 
the development of the curl- 
ing qualities of their hair and 
beard, in that it jDermitted its 
state of curliness to be continually preserved. 

Their beards they allowed to grow to full length, and they 
were especially cared for. Usually they were dressed with three 
transverse rows of curls, as seen in Fig. 83, though sometimes 
but two, if the beard was short, were worn. The mustache also 
received a great deal of attention, and it was carefully curled 
outwards from the median line, and ended in a curl artificially 
produced, or natural. Their hair was combed back from the 





Fig. 82. 



Fig. 83. 



288 



THE HAIR OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. 



head and suffered to coil itself into a mass of ringlets about 
the neck; both sexes dressing the head hair in much the same 

way. This is quite clearly shown in 
Fig. 84, which is a portraiture of the 
great king, Sennacherib, as carved 
upon one of the Nineveh marbles, 
who was slain by his sons when 
worshiping in the temple dedicated 
to the Assyrian god Nisroch. 

Sometimes they would dye the 
hair and beard, as the moderns now 
do, and the eyebrows, too, received 
the dye, much as the occupants of 
the Eastern harems dye theirs to-day. 
The ancient Assyrian belles made use 
of cosmetics for their cheeks and lips, 
and the modern, fashionable, Anglo- 
American belle is but following out 
a custom inaugurated by the reign- 
ing belles of thousands of years ago, 
when she so attires herself with "lily white" and "ruby ball." 
Even the gods of the Assyrians are represented, when hav- 
ing hair, with their comate covering as richly curled as any of 
their hirsute kings or warriors. When portraying other 
nationalities, captive or contemporary, they were equally careful 
to represent them as lacking the Assyrian curls of hair and 
beard, as they were careful to give each portrait of themselves 
the abundance of them. 




Fig. 84. 



THE HAIR, OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. 

I have in my possession a good many hairs of the head, 
beard and eyebrows from a citizen of ancient Thebes, whose 



THE HAIR OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. 289 

comate covering has thus been preserved these three thousand 
years from the ravages of time. Though of a decided reddish 
tint now, it undoubtedly was black when its owner was alive. 
This I am positive of, for the hair is nearly cylindrical, on 
transverse section, and cylindrical hairs are almost universally 
of this color. In diameter the hairs vary from 1 -£- - to the -3^- 
of an inch. The medulla shows as plainly in it (see page 28) 
as you can make any hair show it when you have tried to 
bring it out with the use of reagents, and, in some specimens, 
constitutes one-third of the shaft. ' Being of the cylindrical 
type of hair, it must necessarily have been long and straight, 
if permitted to grow to any length. The males did not 
do this, however, but kept their scalp, during the times of the 
Pharaohs, closely shaven, except in the time of mourning. 
This had been the case of the young man whose mummified 
head fell into my possession. He had evidently been sick 
three or four weeks, as the services of the tonsorial artist had 
not been sought, judging from the growth of the head hair 
and beard, since both were of the same length, in that length of 
time. The face, when unwrapped from its bituminous casings, 
did not look much emaciated; hence it must have been some 
acute disease that carried him off. 

No one but a slovenly person, or one in mourning, would 
allow his beard to be seen. The artists have taken advantage 
of this and have employed it in caricature. Thus, Rameses is 
represented with a beard of three or four days' growth in one 
of his portraits in the tombs at Thebes. Slovenly people were 
also so represented, at times. However, in time of war, when 
a barber was hard to be obtained, the beard reached a certain 
length; and in some of their pictures the king is so represented, 
when returning from his wars; this feature testifying to the 
hardships he had undergone. 

19 



290 THE HAIR OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. 

Herodotus says that the Egyptians " only let the hair of the 
beard and head grow when in mourning, being at all other times 
shaven." The Bible has an incidental reference to the same 
fact, for in Genesis, xli, 14, it is said that Joseph (B. C. 1718), 
when in prison and sent for by the king " shaved himself, and 
changed his raiment and came in unto Pharaoh." 

So far did the Egyptians carry the idea of cleanliness, as 
demanding frequent shaving of the head and face, that their 
slaves and captured prisoners were subjected to the same ton- 
sorial process. Frequently a skull cap was worn by them; and 
Martial, in later times, refers to a bladder as being worn by 
the servants of his time, for he says: 

"Fortior intortos servat vesica capillos." 
" A stronger bladder guards the twisted hairs." 

The priests carried the matter still farther, for they shaved 

the whole body every three days, and bathed twice a day and 

twice during the night. Here, then, is the foundation of the 

excrementitious idea referred to on a previous page, for they, 

with the Persian fire worshipers, regarded the hair as an 

uncleanly element. 

In the Theban sculptures and paintings we frequently find 

the men represented with long, plaited locks; these are not 

their natural hairs, but are wigs that they were accustomed to 

wear. Figs. 

85, 86, 87, 88, 

show various 

styles of these 

curled and 
Fig. 85. Fig. 86. Fig. 87. Fig 88. braided head . 

dresses. It would seem strange, at first thought, that the 
dwellers in this hot climate should shave their heads to keep 
themselves cool, as well as clean, and yet would burden them- 




THE HAIR OF THE ANCIEXT EGYPTIANS. 



291 



selves with wigs. Still, when we take into consideration the 

open net work on which the strands are fastened, see Fig. 89, 

which is one seen from the front, and is 

preserved in the museum at Berlin, it 

becomes evident that they had in them 

an effectual screen against the direct and 

scorching rays of the sun. At the same 

time that they played the part of a shade, 

they afforded free ventilation to the scalp 

beneath. In the original of this figure 

the braids measure two and one-half feet 

in length. It was, undoubtedly, a wig 

for the female sex. The upper parts of 

these wigs were usually made of curled, 

or closely-braided hair; in the case of the 

poorer classes some woolly substance was 

substituted for the genuine hair, and they 

were then known as "false wigs." These 

wigs were worn in the house, as well as 

out in the open air, serving the same purpose that the turban 

does with the modern 
Egyptians. Some- 
times the hair was 
suffered to hang 
loosely braided from 
the crown of the wig, 
as is represented in 
Figs. 90, 91, which 
represent the front 
and back of a wig 
now preserved in the 
Fi s- 91 ' British Museum. 

The longer plaits only are braided in this specimen. 




Fig. 




292 



THE HAIR OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. 




Fig. 92. 



Another common form of head-dress, worn by members of 
the royal family, is that depicted in Fig. 92. This was evi- 
dently made of some manufactured cloth, 
and would hardly be as serviceable as the 
wigs for shielding the wearer from the heat 
of the sun, as ventilation seems to be illy 
prepared for. 

The Egyptians carried this wig-wearing to 
the extreme, for they not only shaved their 
heads, and then covered their baldness with 
wigs, but they also shaved their chins and then attached thereto 
false beards of plaited hair. These false beards were of various 
forms, differing according to the man's station in life, much as 
we see the different ways in which the natural beard is trimmed 
to-day, corresponding with a man's avocation. Private individ- 
uals had a short beard, barely two inches in length, that they 
tied upon their chins; a king wore one of 
considerable length, which was cut square 
across the tips of the hairs; the figures of 
the gods have theirs 
turned up at the end. 
These three varieties are well repre- 
sented in the accompanying figures, 
where Fig. 93 represents a king with 
his false beard attached; Fig. 95 a 
private individual; Fig. 94 the head of 
a god, with his curling beard. After 
death, however, a king was permitted 
to have affixed to his statue the beard 
of the gods, but in life, never. Other 
persons, who were deemed worthy of 
entering into Elysium immediately after death, were also 




Fig. 93. Fig. 94. Fig. 95. 




Fig. 96. 



THE HAIR OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. 293 

privileged to have the same god-like characteristic affixed to 
their effigies. Fig. 96 represents the mummy case, or statue, 
of some king, or high-rank Egyptian, who has been deemed 
worthy to share the Elysium of Osiris, and his faithful spouse, 
who is on her knees, weeping before it. This privilege of wear- 
ing the beard of the gods was granted the worthy dead because 
the Egyptians believed that the souls of the upright dead 
assumed the character of the great god Osiris, hence, being 
like him, were worthy the bearded honors of the god himself. 

The hair of the male children was also shaven, though not 
completely from the scalp; portions of it were left at the sides 
of the head, and these locks, according to their shape, served 
to distinguish the children of different castes. Thus, for 
instance, the princes wore a braided lock, the shape of the 
letter J , only with the hook on the reverse side, hanging down 
from behind their ears. When man's estate was reached, the 
same lock was kept up in their head-dress, though the hair 
was shaven from the head, as long as the father reigned. 
This was the same lock of hair the youthful god Horus, 
the son of Isis and Osiris, wore, the god all the king's 
children were supposed to emulate in all royal virtues. 

The female children wore their hair very long, as the 
accompanying cut illustrates. 

The Egyptian women wore their hair long, and did 
not shave the head at any time. It was dressed in long; 

Fig. 97. 

plaits, or braids, as shown in Figure 98. On this 
individual, a lady of influence, as her clothing would indicate, 
the hair is held confined at the sides with a sort of high-backed 
comb, similar to those worn by our ladies now-a-days, whilst a 
fillet surrounds the fronto-occipital regions. The short hair lies 
on the cheek in a couple of small braids. Figure 99 shows a 
different form of dressing the hair, although it is braided, and 




294 



THE HAIR OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS. 



a sort of cap, or head-dress, worn. The figure also shows the 
peculiar way of wearing the scarf about the waist, being passed 




Fig. 98. 



Fig. 99. 



Fig. 100. 



twice about it, then tied in front. It looks as though tied at 
the side, but this is a peculiarity of all the ancient Egyptian 
drawings. Sometimes, the hair was confined to the head with 
nets, as is shown in Figure 100. 




Fig. 101. Fig. 102. Fig. 103. 

Other peculiarities in the style of dressing the hair are shown 



THE HAIR OF THE ANCTEXT EGYPTIANS. 



295 



in the three heads just plated. The figure on the right, Figure 
103, shows the more usual way of wearing the hair, that in 
long braids reaching nearly down to the waist, and left flowing 
down the back and over the shoulders upon the breast, with a 
single fillet about the head. Frequently the fillet was replaced 
by the winged ornament shown in Figure 101, which separated 
the forward, or shoulder, plaits, from those that fell down the 
back. A round stud, or large pin, also was frequently thrust 
into these plaits, at the top of the 
head, as an item of ornament. 

Figure 104 represents a lady of 
rank in full dress, and with her sash 
passed twice about the waist, and 
tied in front. Another peculiarity 
of Egyptian drawing is that the 
form of the person is shown through 
the clothes. 

The shorter locks, springing from 
the temples, the Theban ladies were 
accustomed to braid into small 
strands, by the aid of a few of 
the longer hairs, and these they tied 
with a string, and allowed them to 
fall down over the cheek in front of 
the ear and ear-ring, frequently hid- Flg ' lu4 ' 

ing both. Mummies of females, with their hair so dressed, are 
quite frequently met with; the braids of hair and their 
arrangement being perfectly preserved. The locks, however, 
are changed to a red hue, owing to the effect of the embalming 
material upon them. 




296 THE HAIR OF THE ANCIENT PERUVIANS. 



THE HAIR OF THE ANCIENT PERUVIANS. 

Quite recently I received from Prof. Steele, of Michigan 
University, specimens of hair from the skulls of the mummies 
he exhumed, from the burial places of the Incas, in Peru. The 
specimens are well preserved from the ravages of the many 
centuries that have rolled over them, and show that their pos- 
sessors belonged, hirsutically, to a race of ovoidal-haired people; 
for, on. transverse section, the shafts resemble, markedly, the 
transverse sections seen of hairs from our straighter, though 
ovoid, haired people of to-day, as the French and Spanish. 
Hence, while the hair was inclined to straightness, yet a curl- 
ing of it, in a minor degree, was not Only possible, but probable. 
Socially, then, even as their monuments indicate, the hair 
would mark them as a race in advance, so far as the arts of 
civilization are concerned, of the cylindrical-haired Indian of 
the present time. It is considerably coarser than the Anglo- 
European hair, measuring, on the average, 3-^3- of an inch in 
diameter. One specimen, from an old gray-haired individual 
(apparently a male), shows the imbrications of the outer scale- 
layer, covering the cylinder, very plainly. Another specimen, 
from a middle-aged individual, shows the medullary portion of 
the shaft as plainly as reagents could bring it out. 

The Incas were accustomed to dress their hair in some simple 
manner, the ladies permitting theirs to grow quite long, con- 
fining it either in loose braids, or in loose rolls, about their 
heads, much as is the custom of the remnants of their race 
to-day. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



THE BEAKD. 

Special Description. The beard furnishes us with some of 
the coarsest hairs to be found upon the human body; probably, 
with the exception of the eyelashes, the coarsest that may be 
thereon found. The thickness of the growth runs from 150 to 
200 hairs to the square inch of surface. In size the beard- 
hairs are double, or even quadruple, that of the head-hairs. 
They are also decidedly elliptical, or even triangular, when 

seen on cross-section. 
This is very nicely shown 
in Figure 105, which is a 
cross-section of a beard- 
hair of a white adult, and 
is magnified 370 times. 
This one shows the pith, 
or medulla, very distinct- 
ly, and is of the elliptical 
type, the one more usually 
found on the American. 

The growth of the 
beard is quite rapid, when 
care is taken to keep it 
closely trimmed, or the face shaved. Some eighty feet are 
supposed to be thus cut off in the life-time of a man that has 
come to his four score years. The average growth is some six 
or six and one-half inches annually. Still, in exceptional cases, 
the growth is even more rapid. Notably so is that of the case 




Fig. 105. 



298 THE BEARD. 

of Mr. Edwin Smith, whose portrait is given on page 98. In 
his case the average growth must have been at the rate of 
nearly eight inches per annum. This beard, although seven 
feet, six and one-half inches in length, is not, however, the 
longest beard on record, as the one belonging to the carpenter, 
whose portrait hangs in the prince's court at Eidam, measured 
nine feet in length. (See page 99). 

The Lombards (Longobards) were a race of long-bearded 
men, as their name indicates. They rarely, or never, used a 
razor upon it. It is said that Alcides' beard would reach to 
the ground. King Robert, of France, also possessed a very 
long white beard. Julian also wore so long a beard that he 
was forced to tuck it into his girdle, when walking, to keep it 
from the ground. The Antiochians hated him on this account; 
but he revenged himself by writing a satire upon their city, 
named "Misopagon, or Beard-hater." When he assumed the 
throne, however, silence upon the beard-subject also reigned. 
A German artist, John Mayo, by name, though called John 
the Bearded, from his exuberant beard-growth, sported one that 
would with, Hiiber's, reach the ground when standing upright. 

Another very long beard, of modern times, is that belonging 
to Mr. Ignatz Hiiber, of St. Poltsen, North Austria. Mr. Hiiber 
possibly is remembered by some of our readers, who may have 
seen him at the Vienna Exhibition in 1873. He there had 
charge of one of the departments. Dr. Henry L. Joy, of Mar- 
shall, whose brother saw him at that time, vouches for the 
correctness of the portrait as here given, Figure 106, but says 
he knows nothing further concerning him. 

Mr. Hiiber is now some 56 years of age, and his beard is 
quite gray. It comes down to the floor, when standing erect ? 
and is surely a marvelous beard for one so old, although it does 
not measure so long as Mr. Smith's, previously described. This 




THE BEARD. 



299 



beard was four feet six inches at the time the portrait was 

taken, 1873. The back of 
card bears this brief auto- 
biography: " Ignatz Htiber 
von Wilhelmsburg, bei St. 
Poltsen in N. O., ftinfzig 
jahre alt. Bart, lange vier 
schu sechs zoll." 

As a rule, the lighter 
skinned races are those only 
which grow beards to any 
length. Just why this should 
be so, it is impossible to 
give any satisfactory reason. 
Climate may have much to 
do with it, as light-skinned 
people usually live in the 
temperate zones, where all 
animals, even, are hairy; 
whereas the dark-skinned 
live, as a rule, in the torrid zone, where the animals, too, are, 
comparatively, hairless. Still there are many important excep- 
tions to this rule, as, for instance, the North and South Ameri- 
can Indians, though of dark-colored skin, live in the same zones 
as the lighter-faced and bearded Europeans and Anglo- 
Americans. The Laplanders and Esquimaux are dark-skinned 
and almost beardless races, though living in the frigid zone. 
Some of the torrid zone people, as, notably, the Solomon 
Islanders, Figure 107, grow quite luxuriant beards. The Sand- 
wich Islanders also furnish us with an example of the 
inhabitant of the torrid zone growing quite a respectable beard, 
see Figure 108. The complexion of this race of people is also 




Fig. 106. 



300 



THE BEARD. 



much lighter than that of the Malay race, in general, to which 

they have been referred. Their 

hair is black, often curly and 

bushy, though it is sometimes 

straight. 

The men of North Australia, 
as Figure 109 shows an excel- 
lent portrait of one of the 
better developed (physically 
and intellectually) members of 
this race, have also a very 
exuberant beard-growth; in 





Fig. 107. 

this respect, and the form 
of the growth of head-hair, 
they quite closely approach 
the light-skinned and beard- 
ed races of the north tem- 
perate zone. 

In the chapter upon Poly- 
trichia, or Excessive Hair- 
growth, several instances 
are given of the growth of 
the beard upon women, as 
well as the painting of the 
faces of the women, by 
themselves, to imitate beard-growth. To these cases can be 



Fig. 108. 



THE BEARD. 



301 



added that of the Swedish grenadier, whom the Russians took 
prisoner, in 1724, and who turned out to be a woman with a 
beard a foot and one-half in length. Then there was the titled 
lady, Margaret, the Duchess of Parma, who, during the time- 
of Philip II., sported a long mustache. Travelers also say 




Fig. 109. 



there is a race in central Ethiopia where both the males and 
females grow beards and mustaches. 

The Cyprian Yenus was represented with a beard, and Suidas, 
who lived in the Tenth century, asserts that the Athenian 
ladies tried to raise what Nature denied them, and so were 
accustomed, at times, to clothe themselves with false beards. 



302 



THE BEARD. 



The ancients also asserted that Jupiter denied this growth to 
women lest, if they had beards, they might draw to themselves 
the adoration which should only be given to the gods. Byron, 
however, puts a very different interpretation upon this matter, 
though one equally wanting the elements for scientific credence, 
for he says : 

" That ever since the fall, man, for his sin, 
Has had a beai'd entailed upon his chin." 

This is certainly just the opposite view of the matter that 
the ancients took, as we shall see further on, for they looked 

upon a man without a beard 
as a criminal, or fugitive 
from justice. 

Jupiter, Figure 110, and 
other of the major deities, 
were permitted to wear long, 
flowing beards, whilst the 
younger gods and heroes 
were almost always beard- 
less, though Bacchus is rep- 
in the 




Fig. 110. 



resented in one of his statues, 
British museum, with a beard; he is here, 
however, an old man. 

Figure 111, is an engraving from the 
portrait of Madame Josephine Clofullia, 
the bearded woman, who was on exhibition 
in New York city in 1853. She, as is 
usual with this class of females, was 
decidedly masculine in her physical mould 
and tastes. 

The beard worn by St. Paul is probably 
as good a representation of the type of the modern full-length 




Fig. 111. 



THE BEARD. 



303 




Fig. 112. 



beard as any that could be given; for it is very unusual to 
have the beard-hair of a 
longer growth than is here 
rej^resented. The cut, too, 
can be relied upon as giv- 
ing a good picture of this 
learned and revered man, 
since it is copied from a 
medallion found at Hercu- 
laneum, that buried city 
which was once Rome's 
fashionable watering-place. 
There is every reason to 
believe the medallion gen- 
uine, and that it must have 
been struck during, or near, the time of the Apostle, whom it 
commemorates, for Herculaneum was buried in the ashes of 
Vesuvius, A. D. 79, and Paul's death was but a short time 
prior to that date. The Latin inscription, PAVLYS APOS- 
TOLVS VAS ELECTIONIS, about the head, when translated 
reads, " Paul, the Apostle, a chosen vessel," which compare 
with the fifteenth verse of the ninth chapter of the Acts of the 
Apostles. On the reverse side of the medal is the Latin tran- 
scription of the 26th, and a portion of the 27th verses of Psalm 
lxviii, which reads, "Praise ye God in your assemblies, even 
the Lord, ye that are of the fountain of Israel; Here is Benja- 
mine, the younger, their leader." Paul was of the tribe of 
Benjamin, as he himself says in his brief autobiography given 
in the third chapter of Philippians. 

The earliest reference to the beard found in the literature of 
the Hebrew nation, which was proverbially a long-bearded 
race, is found in the thirteenth chapter of Leviticus, and was 



304 THE BEARD. 

written some 1,490 years before the Christian era. In the four- 
teenth chapter it is ordered that the leper shall shave off all his 
head-hair, his beard, and his eyebrows, before he can be 
cleansed. In the nineteenth chapter of the same book occurs this 
passage, " Neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard," 
leaving one to infer that long, flowing beards, with square 
corners (or rather beards un trimmed), was the prevailing cus- 
tom among this ancient people; and also that the heathen 
nations about Israel were in the habit of trimming, or cutting 
their beards. From this, undoubtedly, as a starting point, has 
arisen that beard-veneration now so commonly seen in Eastern 
nations. Many a war has been waged at the insult offered the 
beard by shaving it off, striking it, or spitting upon it. Thus, 
in Samuel, chap, ii, is recorded the fact that David waged war 
against the children of Ammon for shaving off half of the 
beards of the messengers he sent to king Hanun. This was 1040, 
B. C. As late as 1764, Kerim Khan waged a destructive war 
against Mir Mahenna for similarly insulting his tribute-collect- 
ors. Even now the Mohammedans hardly tolerate a smooth- 
faced foreigner. They look upon him as some criminal driven 
out from his own country, since they punish their criminals by 
depriving them of this much prized article. David (1062, B. 
C.) when he wished to feign madness before Achish, king of 
Gath, for no one but a mad man would suffer saliva to rest 
upon this comate covering, " let his spittle fall down upon his 
beard;" 1 Samuel, xxi, 13. In great sorrow, also, the beard 
was neglected and left undressed. 

Something of the same respect for the beard is occasionally 
seen among the European nations, for we read that when Sir 
Thomas More was at the block, and seeing that his beard was 
so placed that the axe would cut it when it did his neck, drew 



THE BEARD. 305 

it aside, saying, "My beard has not been guilty of treason; it 
would be an injustice to punish it." 

The church, in later days, has also tried to govern the style 
of beard that should be worn, or whether it should be worn at 
all. Thus, Godefroi of the Twelfth century, and bishop of 
Amiens, refused the offerings of any one who wore a beard ; 
the custom originated with Leo III., who was the first to pre- 
sent the world with a shaven Pope. Thirty years after this, 
Gregory IV. promulgated another bull, thus making still more 
beardless priests, and finally, in the Seventh century, it was 
little else than the lack of beards that distinguished the clergy 
from the sinning laity, as a caustic writer of that period avers. 
In the Twelfth century the beards of the laity began to get a 
fierce canonading, and this was what led Godefroi to take the 
stand he did in the matter. However, a century later, the per- 
sonal pride of Pope Honorius III., for in order to hide a scar 
upon his lip he suffered his beard to grow, rather ameliorated 
the former curses the beard had sustained, and beards again 
became fashionable. 

Then the pendulum soon swayed to the other extreme, as 
regards the bearded arc, for beards soon took on fantastic 
cuts and shapes in the fashionable world. The bishop had his 
peculiar cut, the judge his, the lawyer his, and the soldier his, 
and so on down to the common laborer. This led to these 
caustic lines, which were written in Queen Elizabeth's time: 

" The barbers thus, like tailors, still must be, 
Acquainted with each cut's variety." 

In France, during the time of Henry IV., the following 
styles of cutting the beard were in vogue: 1st, the pointed 
beard; 2d, the round beard; 3d, the square beard; 4th, the 
aureole beard; 5th, the fan-shaped beard; 6th, the swallow- 
tailed beard; and 7th the artichoke-leaf beard. 

. 20 



306 



THE BEAKD. 



One of the latest bulls against beard growing was quite 
recently promulgated to the Roman Catholic Clergy of Bava- 
ria, through the Nuncio at Munich. It reads as follows: "It 
has come to the ears of the Pope that there are clergymen 
in some of the dioceses in Bavaria who, led by the spirit of 
innovation, or rather thoughtlessness, wish to introduce again 
the antiquated custom of growing the beard, and who, by their 
custom, wish to induce others to do likewise. * * * * The 
authorities of the dioceses are commanded not only to see that 
these beards are forthwith removed, but also that the unity of 
rule and the complete identity within the Roman church, with 
respect to dress and shaving, are not broken again." Hence, you 
see, we are not so very far behind our forefathers after all. It 
would have been well could there have been a second Guillaume 
Duprat, who would rather have given up 
\[js J \ his surplice and bishopric than submit to 

-f J? _J| such a demand upon his indubitable right of 
^^ growing a beard if he wished one. 

lg ' ' The Assyrians and Egyptians, though con- 

temporaneous people, differed radically in 
their treatment of the beard; the former 
suffered theirs to grow to full length, as 
depicted upon their monuments, whilst the 
Egyptians kept theirs quite closely shaven, 
only the titled men or gods being permitted 
to wear any beard at all, and even then it 
was only a small braided bunch beneath the 
chin, or a short bristly stub, and very fre- 
quently a false one at that, see Fig. 113. 
See also page 292. 

Some of the modern Papuans have an equally singular man- 
ner of dressing the beard, as witness this plate, Fig. 114, 




Fig. 114. 



THE BARBER AND HIS CALLING. 



307 



which represents one with his beard braided into two long, 
narrow strands, then both strands tied together, with hair, in 
three different places. The mustache is also braided. 

In the Syrio-Egyptian there seems to be a compromise 
between the two nations; as a 
short beard-growth covers the 
chin of each Syrio-Egyptian 
depicted upon the Egyptian 
monuments. This is well seen 
in the accompanying cut, Fig. 
115, which is taken from one of 
their paintings in the tombs near 
Thebes. For the further dis- 
cussion of the hair of these 
ancient races the reader is re- 
ferred to the preceding chapter. 

This brings us now to a brief consideration of the 




BARBER AND HIS CALLING. 

The earliest mention that we have of the barber's favorite 
instrument, the razor, is found in the sixth chapter of Num- 
bers, fifth verse; this was written some 3,370 years ago, and 
reads as follows: "All the days of the vow of his separation 
there shall no razor come upon his head." The Hebrew term 
for razor, as here used, is taar from the verb arah, meaning to 
make naked, or bare. " Penknife," it is once translated in the 
Bible, see Jeremiah, xxxvi, 23. I should prefer the translation 
" razor," even in this case. 3forah, from the same root, is the 
general term used in the Old Testament to denote a razor. 

The Latin term is rasorium, and is derived from the verb 
rado, meaning " to scrape, scratch or shave off," referring to 
the hair. In several different places of the Old Testament a 



308 THE BARBER AND HIS CALLING. 

phrase, similar to the above, is used. In Ezekiel, v, 1, a more 
descriptive use of the word is made, for it here says: "Take 
thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to 
pass upon thine head, and upon thy beard, then take the bal- 
ances to weigh and divide the hair." This was written nearly 
600 years before the time of Christ, thus plainly showing that 
the barber's was a calling practiced in the earlier ages of the 
life of man. 

Among the ancient sculptures upon the tombs and pyramids 
of Egypt, the barber's office is preserved; and Herodotus, 
B. C. 484, gives us considerable insight into the care the 
ancient Egyptians took of their hair and beards, through the 
help of their barbers. This has been fully spoken of in the 
chapter devoted to the special consideration of this subject. 

The barber, too, in the earlier days, had charge of more than 
the comate covering of man. The red stripes upon their poles 
are memorial of that ancient time when they were knights of 
the thumb-lancet as well as the razor. The red stripe is sup- 
posed to refer to the arterial blood, or the arteries themselves; 
the blue, to venous blood, or to the veins; and the white, to 
the blanching condition of the patient when sufficient blood 
had been drawn. Barbers, also, used to cut for stone in the 
bladder, in ancient times, and this is referred to by Hippocrates, 
in his celebrated oath. Undoubtedly our modern school of 
surgery owes its origin to the earlier school kept by the tonsor- 
ial artists. 

In the ancient Roman and Grecian days, the barber was also 
held in great estimation. The people were accustomed to 
spend their time, in the days of their luxuriousness, between 
the forum, amphitheatre and bath, and were in the habit of 
taking good care that the bath and barber got the principle 
share of their waking time. They would anoint, not only their 



THE BARBER AND HIS CALLING. 309 

heads and beards, after a bath, but also their whole bodies with 
the choicest perfumes; and a loquacious barber, who knew all 
the news, was an acquisition the effeminate bather anxiously 
sought. How different the times now; tempora mutantur et 
nos in illis mutamur, and so we anxiously seek the barber 
that has not inherited the loquacious characteristic of his 
earlier ancestors. 

The Romans wore lengthy beards and hair till about 300 
years B. C, when one of the emperors imported a barber from 
Sicily, and began shaving. The custom became contagious, 
and in a short time the cohorts and citizens became a race of 
smooth-faced men. It is said that Scipio Africanus (230 B. C.) 
shaved every day, when at rest from his wars, and the coun- 
tries the Roman Eagles visited, under his command, were as 
mowed of their inhabitants as his chin was of its hairs by his 
barber. He wore, however, his hair long. It was supposed 
that this beard-shaving custom was adopted for the same reason 
that the more modern knights shaved the hair from the front 
of their foreheads, in order that they might offer no chance for 
their enemies to unhorse them, or drag them to the earth, by 
seizing upon their hair, when in hand-to-hand conflict. 

The Romans made offerings, or consecrations, of their first 
beard-shavings to some deity. This act became, in other ways, 
an important one to the young Roman, for he then became a 
man, and was allowed to assume a man's apparel — the toga 
virilis. Even the slaves looked upon it as an act worthy of 
religious observance, and so consecrated their hair to some of 
the gods. The wealthier, and more influential Romans, offered 
theirs, in some very costly boxes, to their chosen god; thus, 
Nero put his in a golden one, inlaid and set with pearls, and 
dedicated it to the Capitoline Jupiter. Another magnate sent 
his to the god of medicine, iEsculapius, and requested the 



310 



THE BARBER AND HIS CALLING. 



poet Statius, A. D. 61, to write some dedicatory verses upon 
the hairs that would be worthy the offering and the occasion. 
The emperor, seeking this favor, was undoubtedly the sensual 
Domitian, as he made many valuable presents to this poet in 
his after life. 

The statement that Scipio shaved every day reminds us of 
the wise advice given by Don Quixote to his squire Sancho, 
and that was that " he should shave every day, if he desired 
to look like a gentleman." 

The ancient Greeks had much the same customs, respecting 
their beards, as had the Romans. It is, however, solemnly 
asserted that the hidetms monster, Polyphemus, used an 
ordinary grain-sickle to cut the stiff, straw-like hairs from his 
chin. During the time of Alexander the Great (356 B. 0.), 

shaving became quite general 
among the soldiers, as well as 
among the aristocratic Athen- 
ians. The philosophers, however, 
wore their beards long, and the 
cynical Diogenes was accustomed 
to satirize his smooth-faced con- 
temporanies by asking them if 
they were ashamed of their man- 
hood. Alciphron gives a descrip- 
tion of the beards of several of 
the Greek philosophers of his time. 
Thus, Archibius, the Pythagor- 
ean, had a pale face, long locks 
hanging down to his breast, and a 
long, pointed beard. Zenocrates, 
the Epicurean, wore a venerable beard. Themistagoras, the 




Fig. 116. 



THE BARBER AND HIS CALLING. 311 

Peripatetic, had a gray and curling beard. Eteocles, the Stoic, 
had a long beard and wrinkled brow. 

Demosthenes, the orator, had a long flowing beard, much as 
is worn at the present day. Hippocrates had a short beard, 
though he was bald-headed, Figure 116. Homer also had 
quite a full beard which resembled that of Demosthenes. 
^Eschines, and the great Roman orator, Cicero, were both 
smooth-faced. Aristotle was also equally devoid of hirsute 
covering on his face, while Socrates and Plato were both 
possessors of quite lengthy and heavy beards, though the Greeks 
had a common saying that it took more than a beard to make 
a philosopher. 

JSTo doubt there is much sense in the custom of that old 
Grecian, Zoilus, for, as Aelian tells us, he was accustomed to 
shave his head that his beard might grow. It is a notorious 
fact that men of luxuriant beard-growth are deficient in their 
cranial covering, and vice versa. Too, when the beard begins 
to grow thrifty, then the comate covering of the head begins 
to decline. 

The mustache, it is said, was specially legislated against by 
the Spartans, the decree issuing from the Ephori commanding 
all the people to "shave their mustachios, and so obey the 
laws." Coming from this body, which was even more powerful 
than the king himself, the edict must have been obeyed. This, 
so far as my knowledge goes, is the only time that this part of 
the hirsute covering has been specially legislated against. 

Kossuth is accredited with the introduction of mustache- 
wearing, the rest of the face being shaven, to the American 
public; this was on his first visit. It was so well liked that the 
custom speedily came to be quite universal, remaining with us 
to the present time. 

Uses. It is a principle, well recognized in Nature, that 



312 THE BARBER AND HIS CALLING. 

nothing is created in vain; hence, hair, as all things else, must 
have its office or some duty to perform. In this light how 
noble, then, the answer of the Due de Sully to the barber- 
courtiers of the beardless Louis XIII., when demaiA&g of him 
his beard: "God gave the beard, and He only sfcH*ffcasD it 
off." 

The hair that man wears upon his face is intended, without 
doubt, for some sort of protection; that upon the upper lip, 
is evidently to protect the nostrils from the coarser dust that 
floats in a dusty atmosphere, where many men must needsjpend 
the greater portion of the waking part of their lives. That, in 
a measure, the beard protects one from the catching of colds, 
the writer, from his own individual experience, can abundantly 
testify. Before stopping the practice of shaving, each fall and 
spring, he was attacked with suppurative tonsilitis; since 
stopping the practice, now some six years, he has escaped 
anything of the kind. He has also known of, at least, a dozen 
other individuals who have been equally ^benefited by giving 
up the use of the razor; and his advice, to a man afflicted with 
sore throat, is to at once, and forever, give up this habit of the 
toilet. In no case, where the advice has been taken, has the 
heeding of it been regretted. 

The reason of this cold-taking- is that at each shaving the 
scarf-skin of the face and neck, over which the razor passes, is 
mostly scraped from the corium, or true skin, beneath; hence, 
this sensitive portion of the skin is left unprotected from the 
inclemency of the weather, sand, in thessl-individuals specially 
susceptible, colds will be as apt to follow as though a portion 
of the underclothing had been removed from the body. 

The several diseases to which thyf beard is subject are specifi- 
cally treated of in some of the former chapters, and to which 
the reader is now referred. 



"* 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Absence of hair 137 

Abnormally colored hair 128 

Acarus folliculorum 249 

Achorion Schonleinii 217 

Acne 196, 198, 232 

Adults, care of hair of 84 

Albinism Ill 

Allosteatodes 183 

Alopecia 132 

areata 223 

circumscripta 153 

senilis 156 

vulgaris 136-138 

Anatomy of the Hair Chap. I, II, III 

Anglo-Saxons, the 279 

Animal parasites 236 

Apollo, head of 267-272 

Arteries of the hair 16 

Assyrians, hair of 287 

ASTEATODES 183 

Atrichia 137 

Australian, head of 285 

Bald-headed race, a 135 

Baldness 132 

circumscribed 153 

patchy 223 

senilis 156 

Banded hair 128 

Barber's Itch 228 

false 194 

Barber, the, and his calling 307 

Bashinje Chief, head of 282 

Beard, the 297 

Beard, a long 98-298 

earliest record of 303 

of Jupiter 302 

of the philosophers 311 

of the Romans 309 



PAGE. 

Beard of a Papuan. 306 

of St. Paul 303 

style of cutting 305 

Syrio-Egyptian 307 

Bearded women. . .96, 99, 101, 102, 301, 302 

Beards, Egyptian 292-306 

Bezoars (balls of hair) 80 

Black hair dye 159 

Blanching of the hair 109, 116 

Bleaching the hair 168 

Blonde hair dye 168 

Blue hair 130 

Body louse 245 

Breeding of lice 240 

Britons, ancient 278 

Brown hair dye 165 

Brush, a proper 83 

Brushing the hair 90 

Cafuso woman, head of 284 

Calf's eye, hair on 13 

Canities, 109 

Care of hair 84 

Caterpillar's hair 35 

Cavendish, Georgiana 286 

Chemistry of the hair 11 

Chignon fungus 258 

Children's hair, its care 82 

Circumscribed baldness 153 

Cleanliness of the ancients 85 

Climate, effect of, on hair 40 

Clofullia, Madam, head of 302 

Coan robe, the 268 

Color of the hair 12, 43, 61, 70 

classification of races, by 61 

Coloring matter of the hair 32 

Coloring the hair 158 

Comb, a proper 83 

Congo lady, head of 269 



314 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Gonidia 203-206 

Complete absence of hair 137 

Congenital canities Ill 

Cornua humana 180 

Corona clericalis 262 

Crab louse 243 

Cupid, head of 270 

Curling properties of hair 38 

Cutting the hair 88 

Dandruff 172 

Danes, the ' 279 

Danger of using dyes 94 

Deer's hair 29 

Dermatozoa 236 

Dermatophyte Diseases 202 

Derrnestes lardarius, hair of 35 

Diana, head of 267 

Dressing the Hair, Modes of 261 

Dyeing the hair : 158 

Dye the hair black, how to 159 

brown, how to 165 

red, how to 166 

yellow, how to 168 

Eczema 186 

Elasticity of hair 31 

Egyptians, ancient 288 

beards of 306 

wigs 291 

head-dresses 294 

Elephant, hair on 73 

Epidermal hair-layer 24-32 

Excessive hair growth . . . 95 

Exit from the follicle 24 

Eyebrows 15 

Eyelashes, renewal of 17 

Fables of hair growth 79 

Favus 217 

Fibrous portion of hair 30 

Fijians, mode of wearing the hair . . . 280 

Fleas 256 

Follicular secretion, abnormal 185 

scanty 183 

Follicle, hair 17 

Formation of the papilla, bulb and 

shaft 15 

Frizzle-tops 47 



PAGE. 

Goose skin 50 

Gray hair turning dark 127 

Great length of hair 46-51 

Greeks, their mode of dressing the 

hair 264 

Green hair 130 

"Grubs " of the nose 250 

Hahnemann's Organon 239 

Hair, abnormal coloring of 128 

balls of 80 

being hydroscopic 39 

bleaching of 168 

bulb 22 

classification of races by its color, 61 
classification of temperaments 

by 64 

currents 47 

Different Modes of Dressing. . 261 

by the Anglo-Saxons 279 

by the Assyrians 287 

by the Australians . . 285 

by the Bashinjes 282 

by the Britons 278 

bytheCafusos 284 

by the Danes 279 

by the Egyptians... 288 

by the Fijians 280 

by the Greeks 264 

by the Hebrews 263 

by the Londas 281 

by the Papuans 283 

by the Peruvian Incas 296 

by the Romans 265 

by the Solomon Islanders 284 

dyeing of 158 

dyes, danger of using 94 

fables of 79 

fibrous portion 30 

follicle 17 

growth, excess of 95 

rapidity of 55 

hymeneally considered 65 

hygienic treatment of 82 

in relation to diseases — 67 

in relation to dispositions 67 

in singular places 71 

in tumors, why 75 

its indestructibility 59 



INDEX. 



315 



PAGE. 

Hair, its post-mortem growth 59 

its size 41 

its social bearings, 43 

its sociology — 65 

its uses 58 

its weight 56 

long 51, 53, 54 

magnified 34 

nets 268 

number of, to square inch 45 

of adults, its care 84 

of children, its care 82 

of singular color 70 

of the presidents 68 

of the Saviour 70 

of women, coarser 42 

oils 87 

papilla 16 

pins, ancient 265 

root of 55 

shaft 28 

shape of, in different races 37 

sudden blanching of 116 

tonic 91 

transverse section of 37-38 

turning gray of 109 

Head louse 242 

Hebrews, their way of dressing the 

hair 263 

Henle's layer 21 

Hercules, head of 269, 273 

Herpes tonsurans 209 

Hippocrates, head of 310 

Honeycomb ringworm of scalp 217 

Horns, human 180 

Hiiber, Ignatz, portrait of 299 

Huxley's layer 21 

Hyphen 203 

Impetigo 196, 200, 232 

India bat's hair 35 

Inner root-sheath 21 

Itch insects 251 

Jupiter, beard of 302 

head of 267 

Julia Sabina, head of 271 

Juno, head of 273 

King, Assyrian, head of 287 

Sennacherib 288 



PAGE. 

Ladies' hair, treatment of 91 

Lanugo 74 

Local alopecia 223 

Londa lady, portrait of 281 

Long beai'd 14 

Lousiness 236 

Manginess 213 

Mathematics of hair. .31, 36, 41, 44, 46, 55 

Medulla of the hair 23, 28 

Men's hair, care of 86 

Mentagra 194, 231 

Mercury, head of 273 

Messalina, head of 270 

Microsporon Audouini 224 

mentagraphytes 229 

Milk crust 186 

Modes of Dressing the Hair 261 

Muscles of the follicle 19 

Mustache, the 311 

Mycelium 202, 206 

Nwcosis folliculorum 184 

Neptune, head of 272 

Nerves of the hair 16 

Nets for the hair 268 

Niobe's daughter, head of 274 

Nose ape . . , 75 

Number of hairs to square inch 44 

Octavia, head of 271 

Oils, hair 87 

Organon, Hahnemann's 239 

Ovarian tumors, hair in 75 

Papilla, hair 16 

Papuan, a head of 283 

the beard of 306 

Parasitic diseases, vegetable 202 

Parasites, animal 236 

Patchy baldness 223 

Pediculus capitis . : 242 

corporis 245 

pubis 243 

Personnel of the Saviour 70 

Peruvians, hair of the 296 

Phthiriasis 236 

Physiology of the hair 13 

Pityriasis 172 

Plautilla, head of 271 



316 



INDEX. 



PAGE. 

Pleurococcus Beigelii 258 

Plica Polinica 190 

Pluto, head of 272 

Political significance of long hair 51 

Polytrichia 95 

Post-mortem growth of hair 59 

Presidents, hair of the 68 

Proboscis of louse 240 

Pulex irritans, felis or canis 256 

Queen, Assyrian, head of 287 

Victoria, head of 274 

Rabbit's hair 29 

Eapidity of hair growth 55 

Razor, earliest record of 307 

Red hair dye 166 

Regrowth of the hair 25 

Remedies for dandruff 174 

Reverse currents of hair 49 

Rhinoceros, hair on 72 

Ringworm of the scalp 209 

honeycomb, of the scalp 217 

Root-sheaths of the hair 21 

Rupia syphilitica 196, 201, 232 

Sandwich Islander, head of 300 

Sarcoptes hominis 251 

Saviour, personnel of 70 

Scall 186, 217 

Scales of epidermal coat 33 

Scanty follicular secretion 183 

Sebaceous glands 19 

over-secretion of 176 

Seborrhea Capillitii 176 

Semnopithecus nasicus 75 

Sennacherib, king 288 

Shaft of the hair 28 

Shedding of the hair 25 

Singular coloring of the hair 70 

Size of the hair cylinder 41 

Smith, Edwin, portrait of 98 

Sociology of the hair 43, 65 

Solomon Islander, head of 284 

Spitz-haare 140 

Squirrel's hair 29 



PAGE. 

Steatozoon folliculorum 249 

St. Paul, head of 303 

Strength of hair 30, 31 

Stroma 203 

Sudden blanching of the hair 116 

Superstitions regarding the hair- 
growth 87, 89 

Swan's down 35 

Sycosis Menti 194, 228 

Syrio-Egyptian, head of 307 

Temperaments, classification of, by 

the hair 64 

Tetter 186 

Tinea Decalvans 223 

Favosa 217 

Kerion 215 

Sycosis 228 

Tonsurans 209 

Tip of the hair 27 

Tongue, hair in. 77 

Tortoise, hairy 74 

Treatment of children's hair 82 

of ladies' hair 91 

of men's hair 86 

Transverse section of hair 37 

Trichophyton tonsurans 209 

Trichonosis Decolor 128 

Tumors, hair in 75 

Uses of the hair 57 

Vegetable parasitic diseases 202 

Venus, head of 274 

the Cyprian 301 

Victoria, head of 274 

Weight of hair 56 

Wigs, Carthaginian 275 

Roman 275 

Egyptian 290 

Whale's mouth, hair in 71 

Why hair curls 38 

Women, bearded 96, 99, 101 

Yellow hair dye 168 



Leonard's medical publications. 317 

REFERENCE AND DOSE BOOK. 

By C. HENRI LEONARD, A. M., M. D. 

Third Edition (Twenty-Third Thousand), Revised and Enlarged. 

Cloth, 112 Pages, 75 Cents. 

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list of Incompatibles. Ditto of POISONS and their antidotes, and 
Tests for same. Rules for resuscitation of the drowned, treatment of 
poisoned wounds, etc. A complete Table of Tests for URINARY 
DEPOSITS. Series of OBSTETRIC TABLES, and rules for manage- 
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Series of Visceral Measurements as guides for ausculation and percussion. 
Table of the Exanthemata and differential diagnosis. Table of 
WEIGHTS, MEASURES, etc., both French and American. List of 
ABBREVIATIONS, besides several pages of Miscellaneous matter, 
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Second Enlarged Edition. Eighth Thousand. Paper, 50c; Cloth, 75c. 

1,500 Copies ordered by Bailli ere, Tindall & Cox, 
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CONTENTS. — Each Bone: its name, pronunciation, the points of 
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pronunciation, etc. Each Artery: its name, number of branches from 
main vessel, pronunciation of each, origin, course, structures supplied, 
anastomoses. Each Vein: its name, pronunciation, course, where 
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etc. Complete resume table of the bones. Classified table of the actions 
of the muscles. 

All books sent post-paid on receipt of price, by 

C. HENRI LEONARD, M. D., Medical Book Publisher, 

62 Lafayette Avenue, DETROIT, MICH. 



318 

A MANUAL- OF BANDAGING. 

By C. HENRI LEONARD, A. M., M. D. 

110 Original Illustrations. 8vo. Cloth, post-paid, $1.50. 

Included in the List of Text-Books used at the Medical Department of 
Michigan University. 

CONTENTS.— Chap. I.— Charpie and Cotton-wool. Chap. II. — 
Compresses. Chap. III. — Bandages in general. Chap. IV. — Classifica- 
tion of Bandages. Chap. V. — Bandages of the head, 30 are given. 
Chap. VI. — Bandages of the Neck, 10 are given. Chap. VII. Band- 
ages of Upper Extremity, 32 are given. Chap. VIII. — Bandages of the 
Body, 24 are given. Chap. IX. — Bandages of the Lower Extremity, 
56 are given. Chap. X. — Immovable Dressings. Chap. XL — Strap- 
pings. Chap. XII. — Knots. Chap. XIII. — Poultices. 

"It describes and gives cuts of almost all conceivable bandages. — 
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The Codes of Medical Ethics. 

PAPER, 25 CENTS, POSTAGE PAID. 

CONTENTS.— The Codes of the AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCI- 
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the NATIONAL ECLECTIC MEDICAL SOCIETY. 



Diseases of the Nose and Pharynx. 

8TO. PP. 112, PAPER — FIFTY CENTS, POST P. 

This is written by the great specialist, Dr. Michel, of Cologne, and is 
translated by Profs. Jung, C. C. Yemans, of the Michigan College 
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book should find its way into the hands of every general practitioner, 
especially as the diseases it treats of are so common in our climate. 

S£ip Address all orders (none filled without remittance) for Books to 

C. HENRI LEONARD, M. D., Medical Book Publisher, 

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SEP -0 I9M 



